Contrato Social y Desarrollo: Por Sociedades más Equitativas y Cohesionadas 2005 neljorsa.com/contrato-social… Alfredo Sfeir-Younis’s work addresses the intersection of equity, human rights, and economic development in Latin America. He highlights the flaws of policies that prioritize economic growth without addressing the equitable distribution of resources, proposing that a human rights approach can rectify existing inequalities. His research shows a lack of integrated methodologies to address these issues, suggesting that social dialogue is crucial to generating change. Sfeir-Younis urges an existential redesign of policies, integrating social, economic, and ethical dimensions into development, highlighting the need to engage multiple actors to achieve effective social cohesion.

Compensation for Involuntary Resettlement of Rural Populations 1980 neljorsa.com/compensation-fo… In April 1980, Alfredo Sfeir-Younis prepared the working paper “Compensation for Involuntary Resettlement of Rural Populations” for the World Bank’s Agriculture and Rural Development Department, offering a rigorous and ethically grounded examination of the economic and policy dimensions of rural displacement caused by development projects. The paper affirms the necessity of equitable compensation mechanisms to mitigate the material and human costs of involuntary resettlement, emphasizing that such compensation must extend beyond financial measures to encompass the social, cultural, and communal realities of affected populations. Integrating economic analysis with sociocultural understanding, Sfeir-Younis proposes a framework for evaluating trade-offs between net present value and resettlement impacts, outlining three central objectives: assessing these trade-offs, establishing minimum criteria for compensation, and distinguishing between stock and flow effects over time. He underscores the moral importance of equity—considering initial wealth, timing, and long-term consequences—while recognizing the complexity of determining eligibility, and ultimately advances the “equivalent hectare” criterion as a means of preserving the social value of resources after resettlement, reflecting a vision of development rooted in human dignity, social continuity, and sustainable well-being.