Conceptualizing and Implementing a Rights-Based Approach to Address Food Insecurity at City Level in Developed Countries - A Pilot Trial in York

这一博士项目旨在以约克郡为例，在英国城市一级构思和实施食物权。该项目旨在揭示城市在促进食物权方面的全部潜力和作用，并从概念、方法和经验上对人权理论和实践作出贡献。该项目提出了最重要的研究问题：如何在城市一级构思和应用基于权利的办法，以解决粮食不安全问题？随后将提出三个附属问题：--城市在实现食物权方面的义务和作用是什么？--城市一级的不同利益攸关方，如居民、民间社会行为者、粮食银行(公共和私营部门)和地方当局如何理解食物权及其相关义务？--利益攸关方如何集中参与设计一种基于具体情况的办法，以解决他们对实现食物权的关切？从方法上讲，该项目将采用以个案研究为基础的办法，并结合社会-法律研究方法来回答其研究问题。它将在约克郡开展个案研究，探讨在城市一级实施以权利为基础的办法实现食物权的潜力。为了开发案例研究，该项目将与约克人权城市网络(YHRCN)合作，并利用YHRCN在国际人权标准本地化方面的实践知识进行分析。为了回答第一个附属问题--城市在实现食物权方面的义务和作用，本论文将依靠理论上的法律研究。通过审查国际和国家法律文书以及相关判例，将在更广泛的人权和国际法制度范围内分析食物权的规范内容以及英国和城市在实现这一权利方面的义务。为了回答与不同利益攸关方对食物权和相关义务的解释有关的第二个问题，将对作为权利持有人的粮食银行用户、作为提供粮食获得机会的非国家行为者的粮食银行工作人员、倡导食物权的非政府组织以及作为责任承担者的决策者和地方政府官员进行访谈。为了回答第三个问题，即让利益攸关方参与设计一种基于具体情况的基于权利的方法，该项目将采用协作参与的方法进行研究，并在城市一级的讲习班和/或公民大会上召集不同的利益攸关方，共同制定落实基于权利的方法的路线图。该项目旨在三个方面作出贡献。从概念上讲，这项研究将对旨在解决发达国家社会问题的以权利为基础的方法的潜力和设计提供见解。该项目将以约克郡为例，从概念上更广泛地了解城市在落实中央政府赋予的社会权利方面的作用。在方法上，通过共同构建一个路线图，在以权利为基础的框架内解决粮食不安全问题，该项目将提供有关在城市一级采用参与性办法执行国际人权法的潜力和局限性的原创知识。在经验贡献和政策相关性方面，该项目将提供关于人们的粮食不安全生活经历的新数据，以及将人权纳入约克市一级和具有类似特征的城市的地方粮食政策的具体方法。

This doctoral project seeks to conceptualize and implement the right to food at the city level in the UK, with York as a case study. It aims to unveil the full potential and roles of cities in promoting the right to food and contribute conceptually, methodologically, and empirically to human rights scholarship and practice.The project asks the overarching research question: How can a rights-based approach be conceptualized and applied at the city level to address food insecurity? It will be followed by three subsidiary questions:- What are the obligations and roles of cities in realizing the right to food?- How do different stakeholders at city level, such as residents, civil society actors, food banks (both public and private), and local authorities understand the right to food and correlative obligations?- How can stakeholders be centrally involved in the process of designing a context-specific rights-based approach that addresses their concerns relating to the realization of the right to food?Methodologically, the project will use a case study-based approach and a mix of socio-legal research methods to answer its research questions. It will develop a case study on York to explore the potentialities of implementing a rights-based approach to realize the right to food at the city level. To develop the case study, this project will partner with the York Human Rights City Network (YHRCN) and draw upon the YHRCN's practical knowledge on localizing international human rights standards to develop its analysis.To answer the first subsidiary question on the obligations and roles of cities in realizing the right to food, the thesis will rely on doctrinal legal research. By examining international and national legal instruments as well as relevant jurisprudence, the normative content of the right to food and the obligations of the UK as well as cities in realizing this right will be analyzed within the wider human rights and international law regime.To answer the second question relating to different stakeholders' interpretation of the right to food and correlative obligations, interviews will be conducted with foodbank users as rights holders, staff members at food banks as non-state actors to provide access to food, NGOs that advocate for the right to food, and policy makers and local government officials as the duty bearers. To answer the third question on involving stakeholders in designing a context-specific rights-based approach, this project will apply a collaborative participatory approach to research and bring together different stakeholders at the city level at workshops and/ or citizen assemblies where they will co-construct a road map for implementing the rights-based approach.The project aims to make contributions along three dimensions. Conceptually, the research will provide insights into the potentialities and design of rights-based approaches aimed at solving social problems in developed countries. Using York as a case study, this project will provide broader conceptual understanding of the roles of cities in implementing social rights contracted by central governments. Methodologically, by co-constructing a road map for addressing food insecurity within the rights-based framework, this project will contribute original knowledge on the potential and limitations of using a participatory approach in enforcing international human rights law at the city level. In terms of empirical contribution and policy relevance, this project will contribute new data on people's lived experiences of food insecurity and on concrete ways to integrate human rights into local food policies at the city level in York, and in cities with similar characteristics.