Development As Freedom

Amartya Sen’s Development as Freedom (1999) brings the thoughts of a Nobel Prize-winning economist—and his concern for the global poor—to a wider audience. This book has its origins in six lectures he gave in 1996 and 1997 to the World Bank, which is one of the most significant institutions for development work across the world. Sen adapts those lectures for a lay audience because he believes that his argument about how to approach international aid and welfare should be part of the public discourse on ideas to improve the world. Sen says that freedom must be the primary aim of development, rather than simply aiming for higher average income. The interconnected nature of freedom also makes it the primary means of development while empowering marginalized people, as well as its end.

Sen brings a rich array of experience and knowledge to this task. He grew up in colonial India and witnessed its ups and downs as it moved from periods of famine under the British to increasing prosperity after independence. He is a pioneering figure in welfare economics and has been professor of economics at Cambridge and Harvard.