rightsbetween

Rightsbetween is a term used in political philosophy and law to describe a class of entitlements and constraints that arise not from the isolated status of a single actor, but from the relations among multiple actors and institutions. It emphasizes interdependence: the feasibility, scope, and enforcement of a right depend on the duties and permissions of others, such as states, corporations, communities, and third-party regulators.

Origin and usage: The term is a relatively recent coinage in discussions of relational rights and intersubjective entitlements; it does not refer to a single codified doctrine, but a lens to analyze how rights are distributed and mediated.

Scope and examples: In data privacy, the individual's control over personal data is mediated by rights and duties involving processors, advertisers, and regulators; in environmental justice, the right to a healthy environment is achieved through arrangements between polluters, communities, and government. In labor and social policy, rights are often exercised through agreements among workers, employers, and the state, illustrating how entitlements emerge from inter-actor dynamics rather than from any single source.

Policy and jurisprudence: Rightsbetween informs the design of institutions that mediate competing claims, such as consent regimes, data governance frameworks, and dispute resolution mechanisms, by focusing on the web of relationships that support or constrain rights.

Criticism and relation: The concept risks vagueness or conflating rights with duties, and may overemphasize relational aspects at the expense of individual autonomy. See also relational rights, intersubjectivity, social contract, rights theory.