Dennily B.

Maghanoy

Ethics (1:00 – 2:30 PM TTh)

Development as Freedom by Amartya Sen

This chapter of Amartya Sen's book really changes how we usually think about "development."
Instead of just looking at how much money a country makes, Sen says development should be
about giving people more freedom. Growth of GNP or of individual incomes can, of course, be
very important as means to expanding the freedoms enjoyed by the members of the society. 1 This
important idea is the main point of his argument. He says that progress is more than just getting
richer; it's also about giving people the chance to live the lives they want. Freedom isn't just a
way to get something else; it's a key part of progress. Sen says that some people have the wrong
idea about what "development" means. They only look at how much money a country makes,
but they don't think about the things that make people happy and free. He says that just because a
country is making a lot of money doesn't mean it's a good place to live. People might still be
poor, sick, or not able to vote. That's not real progress, Sen says. If people don't have basic
things like healthcare or the freedom to speak their minds, that's not real progress, even if the
country has a lot of money. Sen uses examples to show that just because a country is rich doesn't
mean everyone is happy. He shows how even wealthy countries can have many people who
don't have the basic things they need to be free. That's why he says that focusing only on how
much money a country makes is a problem, because it misses the point of what makes a good
life. We need to think about what makes people happy and free, not just how much money they
have.

What people can positively achieve is influenced by economic opportunities, political liberties,
social powers, and the enabling conditions of good health, basic education, and the
encouragement and cultivation of initiatives.2 Sen says that “development” is about giving
people more freedom to live good lives. He doesn’t just think it’s about having more stuff or
money. He thinks it’s about giving people the chance to make choices and do things that make
their lives better.1 Freedom is about two main things. Freedom to do things, this means having

1
Sen, Amartya Kumar. Development as Freedom. New York, 1999, p.3

2
Sen, Amartya Kumar. Development as Freedom. New York, 1999, p.5
things like food, education, and healthcare. Freedom to make choices, this means being able to
take part in decisions that affect your life, and not being held back by things like poverty or
unfair rules. He says freedom is both the way to get better and the goal itself. He thinks making
people freer is how we can have better development. And he also thinks freedom is the most
important thing because it lets people choose what's important to them.

Development requires the removal of major sources of unfreedom: poverty as well as tyranny,
poor economic opportunities, as well as systematic social deprivation, neglect of public facilities
as well as intolerance or overactivity of repressive states 3. Sen critiques the narrow view of
development that reduces it simply to economic growth, typically measured by way of GDP,
income levels, or wealth. According to this approach, development is viewed as nothing but a
quantitative increase in resources, as opposed to a qualitative augmentation in human
capabilities. The basic flaw in such an approach is the neglect of the human element of
development, ignoring how people can use those available resources. The freedom to enter
markets can itself be a significant contribution to development quite aside from whatever the
market mechanism may or may not do to promote economic growth or industrialization.4

Sen further criticizes the utilitarian approach of development to focus solely on aggregate
welfare maximization without care for inequity in how such benefits are distributed. This
approach may perpetuate a position where growth accrues only to a very narrow segment of the
population, often at the expense of exacerbating exclusion or inequality. The freedom to
participate in economic interchange has a basic role in social living. 5Amartya Sen's central
argument in Development as Freedom is that development has to be understood in terms of
human freedom rather than any economic growth. He further argued that freedom is at once the
means and the end of development.2 Economic resources, important as they are, should be
regarded as means of extending people's freedoms rather than being considered the ends. Sen
turns down the reductionist approach, emphasizing only economic measures of growth, such as

23
Sen, Amartya Kumar. Development as Freedom. New York, 1999, p.3

4
Sen, Amartya Kumar. Development as Freedom. New York, 1999, p.7

5
Ibid.7
GDP or income increases. Rather, he argues that these cannot be regarded as proper measures of
development and well-being, since they do not reflect actual freedoms people have to live the life
they care about. The exercise of freedom is mediated by values, but the values in turn are
influenced by public discussions and social interactions, which are themselves influenced by
participatory freedoms.6 His argument centers around an expansion of the capabilities approach,
which he himself introduced as an alternative to the utilitarian approach toward development.

It focuses on what individuals can do or be, their real opportunities to lead fulfilling lives, rather
than looking at utility as happiness or satisfaction. With adequate social opportunities,
individuals can effectively shape their own destiny and help each other. 7 It considers various
capabilities connected with education, healthcare, participation in political affairs, and social
security. Sen says that poverty isn't merely low income; it is more the absence of capability to do
those things that count for us. Having the ability to choose does not necessarily mean freedom.
Freedom means having capabilities that help in making meaningful choices. Sen also discusses
the role of democracy in development, emphasizing that political freedoms and civil rights are
essential for development. A democratic system, where individuals have the ability to influence
decisions and hold governments accountable, is crucial for expanding freedoms and promoting
development. For Sen, development cannot exist without the ability for individuals to participate
in societal decisions, express dissent, and enjoy political freedoms.

Finally, development should be viewed as a process of expanding human freedoms; that is, one
should concentrate on enhancing people's capabilities and ensuring the availability of choices or
opportunities to lead lives they have reason to value. This is a holistic view of development that
encompasses economic resources but also political, social, and cultural freedoms all equally
relevant to human well-being.3

36
Sen, Amartya Kumar. Development as Freedom. New York, 1999, p.9

7
Sen, Amartya Kumar. Development as Freedom. New York, 1999, p.11