Amartya Sen is an Indian economist and philosopher, renowned for his work on famine, human development, and welfare economics. In 1998, Sen was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to the field.
One of Sens’ most influential pieces of writing was Development as Freedom, published in 1999. In the book, Sen introduces a fundamental argument that has influenced both the United Nations Human Development Index and changed the World Bank’s view of poverty and development. Sen argued that rather than simply increasing GDP and wealth, the primary goal of developing nations should be to expand human freedoms and liberties of their citizens. Not only should the expansion of human freedoms be the goal of developing nations, it is the most powerful way to fuel development. Through the expansion of freedoms, individuals are empowered to take action and help strengthen the development process, making choices that improve both their individual lives and society as a whole.
So how can this be achieved? Sen narrows it down to the elimination of factors that prevent the freedoms of the individual.
Free markets. Capitalist markets promote freedom, efficiency, and innovation. Individuals and businesses compete with each other, constantly creating new technology to increase their profits. The elimination of free markets, as seen in authoritarian or communist nations, directly strips human freedoms, restricting the development of the nation. However, free markets cannot stand completely unregulated. Corruption, monopolies, and other harmful practices limit their positive influence. Free markets must be supported by public policy that guarantees legality and fairness. Public policy does not only apply to the economy. It is necessary that there are government actions that ensure education, health, and welfare for a nation to eliminate social inequality and promote their own development.
Poverty, famines, and lack of shelter. These social ills directly prevent social opportunities and economic success. Children growing up without a secure access to food are instantly hindered by the burden, their potential for success more limited than those without it. Because of malnutrition, mental health issues, and the obligation to find food, these children may never realize the potential that they have. Rather than going to school or mastering a craft, they must work or scavenge to help their family survive. Governments of developing nations must take action to limit the outbreak of poverty and famine; however, Sen introduces a unique perspective that challenges how well this can be achieved. (see below)
Political freedoms and stable government. For citizens within a country to support their government’s actions and help drive development, it is imperative that political freedoms and stable institutions exist. Free and fair elections, political participation, peaceful transfers of power, absences of tyranny, and a functioning government help to fuel voter confidence and legitimize the regime in power. This legitimacy allows policy makers to introduce pieces of legislation that can promote development without any serious backlash or potential for uprisings.
Democracy. Amartya Sens introduces a new idea that has been widely adopted by many experts:
“No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy.”
Sens suggests that the most successful way to prevent famines, and subsequently help the nation develop, is through the establishment of a functioning democracy. But why is this the case? The argument is backed by the fact that in many famines, such as the Bengal Famine in 1943 in which Sens studied, there was actually a surplus of food within the country. These famines occur not when food is scarce, rather when the individuals within the nation are not able to access the food. An example of this may be factory workers not earning enough money to be able to afford rising food prices. The inability to access food is most prominent in non-democratic regimes around the world. In functioning democracies, there are free elections and freedom of press. The government is accountable for its actions as their poor decisions are broadcasted to the nation. If the voters have had enough, they can replace their policy makers through free and fair elections. As a result, the government is forced to create meaningful legislation and act quickly to help avoid famines and other disasters. On the other hand, authoritarian regimes have no form of accountability. Through propaganda and violence, they can hide their failures and the people have no easy way of replacing them. A great example of this is Communist China during the Great Leap Forwards. Following the Communist Revolution, Mao Zedong led the Great Leap Forwards, a campaign intended to replace private land ownership and industrialize China. The campaign was a failure and resulted in the greatest famine in human history. It is estimated that as many as 45 million died. The communist system allowed for Mao and other leaders to cover up the whole incident, spreading propaganda that they succeeded to the people of China. Similar examples are the Ethiopian famines of the early 1970s. A combination of droughts, poor infrastructure, and unsuccessful government policies resulted in severe famines in Ethiopia. Emperor Haile Selassie and his regime were very slow to act, even ignoring the famines at some points. They used their power to suppress the media and, as a result, had little incentive to take action. Eventually, the government would be overthrown in 1974. Another reason for the failure of non-democratic nations is corruption. Corruption is rampant in these nations and allows officials to get away with faulty policies and even provoke them into stealing funds from the government.
WORKS CITED
https://www.britannica.com/facts/Great-Leap-Forward
https://archive.blogs.harvard.edu/wheredisasterstrikes/drought/ethiopia-1973-1974/
https://www.amazon.com/Development-as-Freedom-Amartya-Sen/dp/0385720270
