This book has presented a theory of community as a viable alternative to traditional human rights approaches to development. Whilst I do not in any way dismiss the importance of these approaches, they do, however, suffer from the limitation of insufficiently grasping the nature and consequences of state failure and market exclusion. Similarly, they crucially fail to grasp the importance community plays in the lives of the poor, also as a result of the tragic nature of state failure and market exclusion.

The success of the proposition put forward in this book has largely been dependent on justifying and establishing a reciprocal relationship between the concept of human rights and community. The book is an attempt to establish discursively a relationship between human rights and community, as mutually reinforcing and supportive concepts. Crucial to this objective has been the need to re-think human rights from their individual claims, to the mutual obligation and identification between everyone. This has meant thinking of human rights as products of community and community values.

In terms of the practical relevance of the argument of this book, it will depend on how the theory of community can be applied, tested and adapted to different country contexts, as well as how it can be used to address problems related to other economic and social rights, such as access to water, education and healthcare. In saying this, one must not fail to recognise the differences between each of these economic and social rights, which make it difficult to generalise or apply the theory of community without, at least, some adjustments.