Development as Freedom

The remarkable economist Amartya Sen is known as the 'Mother Theresa of economics' for his innovative work in the field of development. His theories of social and economic welfare go well beyond the standard ideas of what it means to be 'developed.' Rather than seeing development as an end (i.e. GDP, industrialization), he sees it as a means to expand substantive freedoms. In his book, 'Development as Freedom' Sen describes development as the process of expanding the real human freedoms people can enjoy. I really like this approach.

What is individual freedom?
Sen sees freedom as achievement. 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.

What are some forms of unfreedom?
Famine, lack of water, healthcare, unnecessary morbidity, gender inequality...to name just a few.

The problem with the notion of development, and even the code of the 'Declaration on Human Rights' is that it often requires the adoption of western values.

"People need to be actively involved -
given the opportunity to shape their own destiny,
not just passive recipients of cunning development programs."
-Amartya Sen, Development as Freedom

It makes sense then that most people who are living in poverty often describe their situation or life as, 'without choice, without a voice, 'on the outside,' I use these words after having read the World Banks series of books called 'Voices of the Poor' which contain the stories and views of the people who are actually living in poverty.

Poverty is like living in jail, living under bondage, waiting to be free.
— a young woman in Jamaica

This is why grassroots and community initiatives are usually more effective than ones applied from the outside or from western models. Because the people who are living it know the needs and wants of the community. And perhaps one group of people places more importance on a community ritual or feast rather than on independent financial gain. This would make them happier, thus more able to make individual decisions, act upon those decisions and then thrive, perhaps even economically. It takes a re-imagining of our ideas of development. Let us even trace back to the Aristotelian notion of eudaimonia; εὐδαιμονία which means happiness, or flourishing. -Eu- means a general state of well being, and -daimon is the spirit that lives within or about you. Thus, eudiamonia means a deep connection to self within the world, or living in accordance with yourself in order to flourish. Therefore, development and human flourishing very much depends on the culture, needs and talents of the individual, and their participation in the world.

Happy young woman in the market, Kumasi, Ghana, 2009

The approach should vary case by case.

With all this in mind, I am more skeptical about development initiatives and even many volunteer programs today. I don't think that should stop us from engaging in development strategies, because many do benefit from these aims. However, I think we are still suffering from an ethno-centric development model - not one based on individual freedoms. In general I believe that the leaders and administrators of the world do too much talking and not enough listening.
On this return to Tanzania I want to close my mouth and use my eyes, and ears in order to better understand that which I will encounter. More importantly, I want to be given more opportunities to amplify the voices and stories of those who are not often heard.