Antidiscrimination Law and Shared Prosperity : An Analysis of the Legal Framework of Six Economies and Their Impact on the Equality of Opportunities of Ethnic, Religious, and Sexual Minorities
This paper looks at the structural marginalization of eth-nic, religious, and sexual minorities in six pilot economies (Bulgaria, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Tanzania, and Vietnam) and proposes a new methodology for collecting cross-country c...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/315281488548151723/Antidiscrimination-law-and-shared-prosperity-an-analysis-of-the-legal-framework-of-six-economies-and-their-impact-on-the-equality-of-opportunities-of-ethnic-religious-and-sexual-minorities http://hdl.handle.net/10986/26242 |
| Summary: | This paper looks at the structural
marginalization of eth-nic, religious, and sexual minorities
in six pilot economies (Bulgaria, Mexico, Morocco, the
Netherlands, Tanzania, and Vietnam) and proposes a new
methodology for collecting cross-country comparable data on
antidiscrimination legal frameworks. The data cover six
areas of law, ad-dressed by six indicators: (a) access to
institutions, (b) access to education, (c) access to the
labor market, (d) access to property, (e) access to public
services and social protection, and (f) protection from hate
crimes and hate speech. The laws, policies, and regulations
presented fall under one of these indicators. For each, the
paper attempts to identify the minority gap, the difference
between the legal treatment of the ruling majority and that
of the minority. Data were collected through two sources:
first, standardized surveys submitted to ombudsman
institutions, lawyers, academics, and civil society
organizations; second, public government records on laws and
regulations and data from international legal databases and
human rights organizations. The idea driving the study is
that institutional measures that hamper the access of
ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities to the labor market
and financial systems directly affect their economic
performance and, as a consequence, represent a cost for the
economy. Among the findings of the study is that
antidiscrimination labor legislation is well developed in
all six pilot economies, but many gaps still exist in access
to property and in access to public goods and social
services. The study also found that, of the three groups
covered by the study, the least protected under the law are
the sexual minorities. Although data from six economies
cannot provide statistical evidence, findings suggest the
need for further research. The authors hope to encourage a
wider debate on the consequences of systematic
discrimination against minorities and to help governments
critically review their legal frameworks to ensure equal
opportunities for all citizens, regardless of religion,
ethnicity, gender identity or sexual orientation. |
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