IJHR Mobility Review Peer-reviewed research on human rights and mobility

IJHR Mobility Review

Peer-reviewed research on human rights and mobility

Latest Articles

Policy Analysis

The Diagnosis That Takes the Keys: Medical Licensing Boards and the Health Costs of Revoked Driving Privileges

State medical review units can suspend a driver's license for epilepsy, diabetes, or declining vision — often with limited due process and little attention to what happens to patients afterward. This review synthesizes the peer-reviewed evidence on how license loss shapes treatment adherence, mental health, and access to care, and evaluates which state frameworks best reconcile road safety with the right to move.
Logged Out and Locked Down: Deactivation Decisions and the Mobility Rights of Platform Drivers
Policy Analysis

Logged Out and Locked Down: Deactivation Decisions and the Mobility Rights of Platform Drivers

Peer-reviewed research and administrative records increasingly document what drivers have long reported: a single algorithmic flag can sever both income and physical mobility overnight. This review evaluates the evidentiary landscape and the due process remedies now advancing in state legislatures.
Bound Before Conviction: The Empirical Case Against Unexamined Travel Restrictions in Pretrial Release
Policy Analysis

Bound Before Conviction: The Empirical Case Against Unexamined Travel Restrictions in Pretrial Release

County-line clauses, GPS check-ins, and residence requirements are among the most frequently imposed conditions of pretrial release, yet they receive a fraction of the scholarly attention devoted to bail amounts. This review synthesizes court data and attorney interviews to assess whether mobility limits function as regulation — or as punishment before conviction.
Priced Off the Pavement: Transportation Burden as a Measure of Economic Liberty
Policy Analysis

Priced Off the Pavement: Transportation Burden as a Measure of Economic Liberty

Peer-reviewed transportation economics consistently shows that low-wage workers in car-dependent American metros surrender 15 to 20 percent of their earnings to the commute. This analysis argues that such costs function as a de facto tax on the right to work — and that policymakers have largely declined to count it.
The Invisible Gatekeeper: Tenant Screening Algorithms and the Right to Move
Policy Analysis

The Invisible Gatekeeper: Tenant Screening Algorithms and the Right to Move

Nontraditional credit scoring in rental applications has become one of the least examined barriers to residential mobility in the United States. This review synthesizes recent housing research and proposes a rights-based test for evaluating screening algorithms used by landlords and property managers.
Hands in the Air: What Five Peer-Reviewed Studies Reveal About Airport Screening and Dignity
Research Methodology

Hands in the Air: What Five Peer-Reviewed Studies Reveal About Airport Screening and Dignity

TSA checkpoints are among the most frequent points of contact between Americans and state power over movement, yet the scholarly literature on screening practices remains scattered across disciplines. This review distills five empirical findings from recent studies and pairs each with the reforms the evidence supports.
Documents of Belonging: Why Tribal Identification Still Fails at the Checkpoint
Policy Analysis

Documents of Belonging: Why Tribal Identification Still Fails at the Checkpoint

Tribal identification cards are sovereign documents, yet their acceptance at TSA checkpoints, border patrol stops, and routine traffic encounters remains inconsistent and opaque. This analysis argues that the patchwork of recognition functions as a de facto mobility restriction and outlines the case for federal interoperability standards.
The Radius and the Curfew: Measuring the Carceral Geography of Electronic Monitoring
Research Methodology

The Radius and the Curfew: Measuring the Carceral Geography of Electronic Monitoring

GPS ankle monitors and curfew ordinances now govern the daily movement of hundreds of thousands of people on probation and parole, often without individualized judicial review. This methodological review examines how researchers can measure the restrictive reach of electronic monitoring and evaluates the comparative evidence across state regimes.
The Lot Size Lock: Single-Family Zoning and the Geography of Staying Put
Research Methodology

The Lot Size Lock: Single-Family Zoning and the Geography of Staying Put

Exclusionary zoning is usually debated as an affordability problem, but its deeper effect is spatial: it fixes low-income households in neighborhoods far from opportunity. This methodological review synthesizes the empirical literature and proposes a metro-level framework for measuring zoning-induced immobility.
Boarding as a Barrier: Auditing the Promise of Accessible Intercity Travel for Wheelchair Users
Policy Analysis

Boarding as a Barrier: Auditing the Promise of Accessible Intercity Travel for Wheelchair Users

Federal statutes promise equal access to intercity transportation, yet compliance data and rider testimony suggest a system built on accommodation rather than entitlement. This analysis examines whether wheelchair users' freedom to travel between American cities functions as an enforceable right in practice.
Arrears at the Border: Due Process and the Federal Passport Denial Regime
Research Methodology

Arrears at the Border: Due Process and the Federal Passport Denial Regime

Federal law bars passport issuance to anyone owing more than $2,500 in child support arrears, a sanction most recipients never see coming. Drawing on administrative data and empirical collection studies, this analysis examines what the research can and cannot tell us about the policy's effectiveness and its constitutional footing.
When the Bus Stops Running: Reframing Rural Transit Loss as a Rights Violation
Policy Analysis

When the Bus Stops Running: Reframing Rural Transit Loss as a Rights Violation

Across dozens of American counties, the elimination of intercity bus service has quietly severed residents from hospitals, courthouses, and jobs. This review synthesizes the empirical record and argues that transit access belongs within the human rights framework, not merely the infrastructure budget.
Involuntary Placement as a Mobility Restriction: Reassessing Nursing Home Admission Through a Rights Lens
Policy Analysis

Involuntary Placement as a Mobility Restriction: Reassessing Nursing Home Admission Through a Rights Lens

Placement decisions for older and disabled Americans are rarely framed as mobility policy, yet they determine whether individuals can remain in their communities. This analysis argues that admission practices deserve scrutiny under established freedom-of-movement principles.
A State-by-State Scorecard on License Access: Grading the Systems That Govern Immigrant Mobility
Research Methodology

A State-by-State Scorecard on License Access: Grading the Systems That Govern Immigrant Mobility

How should researchers and policymakers compare driver's license policies affecting undocumented residents? This methodological explainer presents a transparent, five-indicator rubric and applies it to five states with divergent approaches.
Court Debt on Wheels: The Research Case Against License Suspensions for Unpaid Fines
Policy Analysis

Court Debt on Wheels: The Research Case Against License Suspensions for Unpaid Fines

Suspending driver's licenses over unpaid fines and fees has become one of the most common civil penalties in American courts, despite limited evidence that it improves collections or road safety. This analysis synthesizes five peer-reviewed findings on the practice's economic and mobility consequences and the reform wave now moving through state legislatures.
Mapping the Unmapped: How Statistical Blind Spots Conceal Climate-Driven Displacement in American Counties
Research Methodology

Mapping the Unmapped: How Statistical Blind Spots Conceal Climate-Driven Displacement in American Counties

Internal displacement linked to climate stress is increasingly common in the United States, yet the county-level data infrastructure needed to document it remains patchy at best. This review examines the methodological gaps that render certain migration flows invisible and considers the human rights consequences of populations that official statistics never count.