Development as Freedom Amartya Sen

Hunter Schimpff, Doris Palomino, Megan Lane, Leigh Shoup, Dru Woodrooffe

“ We cannot lose sight of the fact that freedom is an inherently diverse

concept, which involves considerations of processes as well as substantive opportunities” p. 298

Consulting Activity

Instrumental Freedoms

• Political freedoms- i.e. civil rights, free speech

•Economic facilities- i.e. utilization of resources for consumption, production, exchange

•Social opportunities- i.e. education, health care

Instrumental Freedoms (cont.)•Transparency guarantees

- i.e. openness & freedom to deal with one another, guarantees of disclosure

•Protective security- i.e. unemployment assistance, famine relief

Concepts of Freedoms

Freedoms are linked together and can strengthen one another.

• i.e. political freedoms (free speech, elections) promote economic security

• i.e. social freedoms (education, health facilities) promote economic participation

Concepts of Freedoms (cont.)Freedom is central to process of

development.

•Evaluative Reason – “assessment of progress has to be done primarily in terms of whether the freedoms that people have are enhanced”

•Effectiveness Reason – “achievement of development is thoroughly dependent on the free agency of people”

Concepts of Freedom (cont.)Freedom includes:

• Processes –allow freedom of actions (i.e. voting privileges, political & civil rights)

• Opportunities – available to people given their social circumstances (i.e. capability– to escape premature mortality, involuntary starvation)

Poverty & Capability DeprivationPoverty must be seen as the deprivation of basic

capabilities.

• Correlation between income poverty and capability poverty

Advantages of Capability Approach

• income is not the only instrument in generating capabilities

• impact of income on capabilities is contingent and conditional

Markets & Social Opportunities•Growth vs. Development

Democracy & Development

•Lee thesis economic growth is stimulated by denial of political & civil liberties

•Poor people will choose economic needs over political freedom

•Public discussion and debate necessary for development (i.e. need for opposition, openness)

Complexity of Development

• Results are subject to internal and external variables

• Choices involve tradeoffs due to fixed and scarce resources

• Development is not often democratic