The essentials
Growth and development are different. Growth is quantitative and value-neutral – it may be positive or negative. Development means a qualitative change that is always positive. The concept of human development was introduced by Dr Mahbub-ul-Haq, who described it as development that enlarges people's choices and improves their lives. Nobel laureate Prof. Amartya Sen saw development as increasing freedom and reducing unfreedom. The UNDP has published Human Development Reports since 1990.
Leading a long and healthy life, being able to gain knowledge, and having enough means to lead a decent life are the core of human development.
Key points
- Four pillars: equity (equal access to opportunities for all), sustainability (continuity in availability of opportunities across generations), productivity (human labour productivity, built by investing in people), empowerment (having the power to make choices).
- Approaches: income approach (oldest; development linked with income), welfare approach (people as beneficiaries; government spends on education, health, social amenities), basic needs approach (proposed by the ILO; six basic needs: health, education, food, water supply, sanitation and housing), capability approach (associated with Amartya Sen; building human capabilities in health, education and access to resources).
- Human Development Index (HDI) uses three dimensions: health (life expectancy at birth), education (knowledge indicators) and access to resources (income in terms of purchasing power).
- HDI scores lie between 0 and 1; the closer to 1, the higher the level of human development.
- Countries are grouped into categories such as very high, high, medium and low human development.
- Bhutan uses the idea of Gross National Happiness as a measure of progress.
Exam tips
Remember who proposed what: Mahbub-ul-Haq – concept of human development; ILO – basic needs; Amartya Sen – capability.
Common mistakes
A high per capita income does not guarantee high human development; HDI also considers health and education.