Affirmative Action International Perspectives

This work outlines perspectives essential to understanding the debate on affirmative action. Affirmative action is used as a social policy tool in several countries around the world, and is endorsed in some constitutions, laws and international human rights conventions. Nevertheless, it is controversial, especially because both its proponents and critics rely on the notion of equality to justify their position. Even when they agree about the need to equalize opportunities, they argue over how this is to be done.