IDST 1002H Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Amartya Sen, Green Economy, Collateral Damage
14 Jun 2018
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Lecture 1: Multidimensional poverty, development ethics and human rights
Our World Today
• China is trying to transition to most green economy and become global leader in free
trade
• US is supporting hydrocarbons and trade restrictions
• Countries like China that are becoming more important have different ideals than former
leaders such as US
• Globalization: increasing role of cross border trade and investment that takes place on a
global scale
• Peaked 2008 and has slowed down since
• Inequalities within countries are historically unparalleled
• Majority of population lives in urban areas, which until 10 years ago was not true
• Automation is going to affect types of jobs available, information technology will affect
how we work in the jobs we have
• Increasing attraction to nationalism
• Too many people do not want to hear a diverse set of voices
Development
Unilinear development thinking:
1. Progress (universal meaning)
2. A universal path to progress (involves science, investment, urbanization, economic
growth)
3. A lack of sensitivity to alternative paths
Modernization theory: set of ideas that developed in 1950s and continue to be dominant way of
thinking about development
• What the 3 parts of unilateral development thinking falls under
Belief that nationally based economic production is central matter to evaluate progress
• Emphasis on growth and production might hide other ways of thinking what development
might be
Money metric methods of measuring development: using money threshold to divide poor from
not poor
• People all around the world share some basic values
• Amartya Sen argues poverty around the world is not just a lack of money, but it is a lack
of capability to realize one’s full potential as a human being
• The freedom to choose the life you want to lead
• Capability Theory led to Sen receiving Nobel Prize
A state of ill-being (people do not have capability to live a life they value):
• Voicelessness and powerlessness
• Undeserved and avoidable suffering
• Deliberate exclusion from society
• Collateral damage from processes of development as a universal progress
• Disadvantageous incorporation into economic life
A state of well-being (people do have capability to live life they value):
• Personal relationships and friendships
• Intellectual and spiritual life
• Social participation and contribution
Any process towards a state of well-being involves making choices that will result in tradeoffs,
decreasing the wellbeing of some to improve the wellbeing of others
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Lecture 1: multidimensional poverty, development ethics and human rights. Increasing attraction to nationalism: too many people do not want to hear a diverse set of voices. Unilinear development thinking: progress (universal meaning, a universal path to progress (involves science, investment, urbanization, economic growth, a lack of sensitivity to alternative paths. Modernization theory: set of ideas that developed in 1950s and continue to be dominant way of thinking about development: what the 3 parts of unilateral development thinking falls under. Belief that nationally based economic production is central matter to evaluate progress: emphasis on growth and production might hide other ways of thinking what development might be. A state of well-being (people do have capability to live life they value): personal relationships and friendships, social participation and contribution. Possible distributions: equal treatment, equal outcomes, fulfil basic minimum rights, minimize harm and neglect. 3 doctrines of development: understanding the present, improving the future, intervening in the present.
