Human Rights, State Accountability and Public Policy: Emerging Challenges in Contemporary Democracies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.68219/7rgsvj84Keywords:
State Accountability, Democratic Governance, Constitutionalism, Human Rights-Based ApproachAbstract
Human rights, state accountability, and public policy are interrelated pillars of democratic governance. In contemporary democracies, human rights protection is not just about the formal recognition of constitutional and international legal guarantees but also about the transparency, responsiveness, and accountability of state institutions. Meanwhile, new issues of digital surveillance, artificial intelligence, data governance, national security, socio-economic inequality, migration, environmental degradation, and public emergencies have generated complex interactions between the rights of individuals and new forms of state power. In this study, we investigate how human rights protection, state accountability, and public policy interact and how, in particular, institutions and governance can prevent arbitrary or disproportionate abuse of public power. We consider how legislatures, courts, administrative institutions, human rights bodies, civil society, media, and participatory mechanisms can strengthen democratic accountability. It also examines the degree to which current public policy is based on human rights principles and the gaps in the legal commitments and the implementation of policy. It suggests that democratic governance, in which policymaking is based on the principles of human rights, should be supported by independent oversight institutions, transparent decision-making, access to justice, proportionality in the use of state power, and the participation of citizens. It concludes by recommending policy and institutional measures for better state responsibility and protection of vulnerable populations and for the development of new technology and governance, ensuring that modern technologies and governance responses must be compatible with human rights and democratic principles.
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