Towards A Human Rights-Centered Macroeconomic and Financial Policy in the US: Revisited

Executive Summary

The recent global economic crisis created serious challenges for the realization of human rights in the United States and throughout the world. The roots of the crisis stemmed from U.S. financial markets and policy decisions, including deliberate legislative changes, the lack of regulatory protections for risky financial products offered by commercial or investment banks, and the failure to extend government oversight of the private sector. The “Great Recession” created high rates of unemployment and home foreclosures. It also revealed the true extent of discriminatory practices in the subprime mortgage market. Today, Americans continue through a long economic recovery process, trying to rebuild from the impact of the recession.