Wealth - HUQUQ: Human Rights in Context

Wealth

From Bookstore to Empire: The Case of Amazon

HUQUQ Research Team Comments on Rights Hoarding, Wealth, Work 0

Hoarding and Human Rights Introduction This essay examines the distinction between the creation and transfer of wealth through the lens of Amazon’s business model and its broader implications for economic ethics and human rights. It argues that legitimate wealth arises through two primary paths: the production of goods and services, or their distribution through trade and commerce. While Amazon has built its global dominance through the latter, its success depends largely on the labor, creativity, and productivity of others. By profiting from the margins of others’ work rather than creating value in itself, Amazon exemplifies a system in which wealth is redistributed upward rather than newly generated. The essay contends that this economic model, while efficient, raises profound moral and human rights concerns—particularly regarding the fair valuation of labor, the dignity of workers, and the equitable distribution of the fruits of human toil. In questioning Amazon’s claims to “create” jobs or wealth, the essay calls for a reexamination of how modern economies measure value, justice, and the rights of those whose labor sustains them. First, Data and Statistics Amazon frequently defends itself against criticism of harsh labor practices by pointing to two achievements: the vast number of jobs it creates and the wealth it has generated as a trillion-dollar company. Both claims are technically true, but they conceal more than they reveal about who actually benefits from Amazon’s growth. Today, Amazon is one of the largest employers on Earth, with roughly 1.55 million workers worldwide. When the company highlights job […]

Tariffs and Human Rights

Prof. Souaiaia Journal, Economics Poverty, Tariffs, Trade, Wealth 0

Generally, nowadays, a tariff is a tax imposed by a government on goods and services imported from other countries. Its primary purpose is to raise the cost of foreign products, making them less competitive compared to locally produced goods. Tariffs are a fundamental instrument in international trade policy and have been used historically both to protect domestic industries and as a political weapon. Originally, the word tariff has an intriguing linguistic lineage—one that bridged the Islamic East with the Christian West. In the context of the modern West, tariff is connected to the Italian word tariffa, meaning “list of prices or taxes.” However, the word originates from the Arabic word ta`ārīf (تعاريف), meaning “notifications” or “definitions” — which itself referred to a list of customs duties. This etymology reflects the deep historical links between trade and taxation in the Mediterranean and Southwest Asia regions, where merchants and empires developed early customs systems to regulate the flow of goods. Initially, tariffs were institutionalized in the emerging Islamic civilization. But one of the earliest formal systems of trade duties can be traced back to the time of the Prophet Muhammad, who established rules to regulate commerce fairly in accordance with Islamic principles of justice and equity. Under Islamic governance, the caliphate, tariffs applied to state revenues above and beyond the religiously mandated taxes, called zaka and sadaka. These extra, non-religious taxes, ta`rifa, were also known as `ushr (a 10% tax on certain imports for non-Muslims) and khums (a tax of one-fifth on […]