Thornton, LiamLiamThornton2014-02-282014-02-282014-01http://hdl.handle.net/10197/5426European Database of Asylum Law Conference (EDAL): Reflections on the Current Application of the EU Asylum Acquis, Dublin, January, 2014This paper explores the interplay of dignity, law and rights as regards the socio-economic rights of asylum seekers. It does so by posing some questions as regards the extent to which this concept of 'reception' is preferable to the issue of socio-economic rights. This paper is not going to discuss the (rather depressing) situation in different EU member states; rather, this paper considers whether systems and processes of international and European human rights law offer heighted protection for the socio-economic rights of asylum seekers. Part B clarifies some of the terminology that is utilised in this paper, in particular as regards what I mean by the phrase 'asylum seeker' and why I utilise the language of 'socio-economic rights' in preference to 'reception conditions'. Part C, the core of this paper, considers the extent to which the socio-economic rights of asylum seekers are protected at the supranational level under international and European law (both EU and Council of Europe). Part D reflects on the extent that asylum seekers truly enjoy equal protection of socio-economic rights vis-à-vis citizens or legal residents of a state.enEconomic and social rightsAsylum seekersInternational lawEuropean lawIrish lawConference Publication2014-02-25https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ie/