Introduction

The ten years from 2007 were marked by a tectonic shift in the tenor of relations between rulers and ruled across the world, specifically in relation to the degree to which each polity made provision for its citizens to have access to the essentials of life. In this book, we argue that the roots of the global shift in citizen-state relations lie in the politics of subsistence and struggles for natural rights, played out virtually everywhere, in different ways to be sure.