Showing papers by "Amartya Sen published in 1988"

Standard of Living

Abstract: Amartya Sen reconsiders the idea of ‘the standard of living’. He rejects the more conventional economic interpretations in terms of ‘unity’ and of wealth or ‘opulence’, and suggests an interpretation in terms of the ‘capabilities and freedoms’ that states of affairs do or do not allow. His argument is conceptual, but it refers to a wide range of examples. In elaborations of it, John Muellbauer explains how parts of it might be applied; Ravi Kanbur discusses the difficulties raised by choice ex ante, under uncertainty, and choice ex post; Keith Hart discusses the ways in which one might think about living standards in societies in which there is a substantial amount of what he calls ‘self provisioning’ outside the market; and Bernard Williams reflects on some of the moral and political implications of Sen’s argument. There is a bibliography of most of the more important works on the subject. The book will be of interest to economists, sociologists, students of development and moral and political philosophers; it will also be of interest to those concerned with public policy.

Chapter 1 The concept of development

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the concept of development. It is not hard to see why the concept of development is so essential to economics in general. Economic problems involve logistic issues, and a lot of it is undoubtedly “engineering” of one kind or another. On the other hand, the success of all this has to be judged ultimately in terms of what it does to the lives of human beings. The enhancement of living conditions must clearly be an essential,if not the essential object of the entire economic exercise and that enhancement is an integral part of the concept of development. Even though the logistic and engineering problems involved in enhancing living conditions in the poor, developing countries might well be very different from those in the rich, developed ones, there is much in common in the respective exercises on the two sides of the divide. The close link between economic development and economic growth is simultaneously a matter of importance as well as a source of considerable confusion. The importance of “growth” must depend on the nature of the variable the expansion of which is considered and seen as “growth.” The chapter discusses a number of different sources of contrast that have to be clearly distinguished from each other, while drawing a distinction between development and growth. The well-being of a person can be seen as an evaluation of the functionings achieved by that person. This approach has been implicitly used by Adam Smith and Karl Marx in particular. The concept of development is by no meansunproblematic. The different problems underlying the concept have become clearer over the years based on conceptual discussions as well as from insights emerging from empirical work.

Property and Hunger

Abstract: In an interesting letter to Anna George, the daughter of Henry George, Bernard Shaw wrote: “Your father found me a literary dilettante and militant rationalist in religion, and a barren rascal at that. By turning my mind to economics he made a man of me” (George, 1979, p. xiii). I am not able to determine what making a man of Bernard Shaw would exactly consist of, but it is clear that the kind of moral and social problems with which Shaw was deeply concerned could not be sensibly pursued without examining their economic aspects. For example, the claims of property rights, which some would defend and some (including Shaw) would dispute, are not just matters of basic moral belief that could not possibly be influenced one way or the other by any empirical arguments. They call for sensitive moral analysis responsive to empirical realities, including economic ones.

Africa and India: what do we have to leam from each other?

Abstract: There is a great deal that can be learnt from the respective successes and failures of Africa and India in different fields.2 This lecture is concerned with some of these lessons. Time will not permit more than a few of the issues being discussed. I shall concentrate on some elementary matters of life and death.

Africa and India: What Do We Have to Learn from Each Other

Abstract: There is a great deal that can be learnt from the respective successes and failures of Africa and India in different fields.2 This lecture is concerned with some of these lessons. Time will not permit more than a few of the issues being discussed. I shall concentrate on some elementary matters of life and death.