This book offers a distinctive critical discussion of the relationship between sovereign debt and socio-economic human rights in the context of the contemporary global neoliberal economic order, going beyond strictly 'post-crisis' approaches and emphasising the structural character and consistent growth of public and private indebtedness. It reflects on the implications of mounting debt for the actual ability of States to realise human rights in a world of escalating indebtedness, inequality and insecurity. It expands existing definitions of neoliberalism by reflecting in particular on neoliberalism's epistemological underpinnings, and provides a comprehensive and systematic analysis of the 2009 Greek debt crisis and the main elements of post-crisis developments in international and EU law, arguing that the 'neoliberalisation of law' has essentially been advanced in the wake of the Eurozone debt crisis.

‘Should and can international human rights law challenge neoliberalism's dominion exercised through sovereign debt? The answer that Scali's book provides is a convincing “yes”. This hope is masterfully backed by theoretical arguments underpinning the political and technical potential of economic and social rights in the debt realm as well as by empirical analysis of the Greek debt tragedy.'

Juan Pablo Bohoslavsky - Former United Nations Independent Expert on Debt and Human Rights 2014-2020