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Agency, welfare, equality, and democracy
Abstract
This chapter argues that when properly and normatively understood, trade policy, poverty reduction, and democratic progress are related in a "virtuous circle." With the right sorts of policies and institutions, poor (and rich) countries can produce and export in ways that, on the one hand, reduce poverty and inequality and, on the other hand, broaden and deepen democracy. Improved standards of living and democratic quality, in turn, result in more economic productivity and better trading opportunities. © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2013. All rights are reserved.
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The capability approach is one of Amartya Sen's most significant contributions to philosophy and the social sciences. His writings on the capability approach are not only of theoretical interest on their own, but also provide concepts used in his work on social choice, freedoms, and development (see the chapters by Alkire, Pettit, and Roberts in this volume). Moreover, the capability approach has practical relevance for policy design and assessment, most famously through the work of the United Nations' Human Development Reports (United Nations Development Programme 1990-2007/8). This chapter provides an overview of the conceptual and normative foundations of the capability approach and the role of agency within the approach. It puts aside the diverse ways in which the capability approach has been applied and implemented (Robeyns 2006). The chapter is divided into two parts. The first part, of which Ingrid Robeyns is the primary author, describes the main purpose of the capability approach, the concepts of functioning and capability, and the question of selecting and weighing capabilities. The second part, of which David A. Crocker is the primary author, focuses on the nature, value, and role of agency in the capability approach. Scholars and policy makers use the capability approach in a wide range of fields, most prominently in development studies and policymaking, welfare economics, social policy, and social and political philosophy. It can be employed in both narrower and broader ways.
Poverty, inequality, violence, environmental degradation, and tyranny continue to afflict the world. Ethics of Global Development offers a moral reflection on the ends and means of local, national, and global efforts to overcome these five scourges. After emphasizing the role of ethics in development studies, policy-making, and practice, David A. Crocker analyzes and evaluates Amartya Sen’s philosophy of development in relation to alternative ethical outlooks. He argues that Sen’s turn to robust ideals of human agency and democracy improves on both Sen’s earlier emphasis on ‘capabilities and functionings’ and Martha Nussbaum’s version of the capability orientation. This agency-focused capability approach is then extended and strengthened by applying it to the challenges of consumerism and hunger, the development responsibilities of affluent individuals and nations, and the dilemmas of globalization. Throughout the book the author argues for the importance of more inclusive and deliberative democratic institutions.
First ed. publ. under the title :"India: economic development and social opportunity". Incl. bibl., index.
Learning from Athens
- J Ober
Comercio libre, pobreza, and democratizacion: hacia un círculo virtuoso. In Pizarro C (ed) Vínculos entre buen gobierno
- D A Crocker