Development as Freedom – Amartya Sen

Detailed Description of the Book

Development as Freedom fundamentally redefines what “development” means. Amartya Sen rejects the narrow view that development is only about income growth, GDP, or industrialisation. Instead, he argues that development is the expansion of human freedoms—the real opportunities people have to live the lives they value.

Sen introduces the Capability Approach, which focuses on what people are actually able to do and be (health, education, dignity, participation), rather than just what they earn. He links freedom both as the primary end of development and as its principal means. According to Sen, poverty is not merely low income; it is a deprivation of basic capabilities.

The book systematically connects:

• Political freedoms (democracy, free speech)

• Economic facilities (livelihoods, markets)

• Social opportunities (education, health)

• Transparency guarantees (trust, absence of corruption)

• Protective security (social safety nets)

Sen shows how these freedoms reinforce each other and why authoritarian growth models are fragile, while democratic, inclusive systems are more sustainable.

The following extracts may be used in OPSC answer writing:

“Development can be seen as a process of expanding the real freedoms that people enjoy.”→ GS-3 / Essay: Human development approach; redefine development beyond GDP

“Poverty must be seen as the deprivation of basic capabilities rather than merely as lowness of incomes.”→ GS-3 Economy / GS-4 Ethics: Multidimensional poverty, capability deprivation

“Freedom is not only the primary end of development, but also its principal means.”→ Essay / GS-2 / GS-3: Democracy and freedom as drivers of development

“Political freedoms and civil rights are important in themselves and also in promoting economic security.”→ GS-2 Polity / Essay: Democracy, free press, accountability in governance

“There is no evidence that authoritarian governance helps economic development.”→ GS-2 / Essay: Critique of authoritarian growth models; democracy vs efficiency debate

“Famines do not occur in functioning democracies.”→ GS-3 / GS-2 / Essay: Role of democracy, free press, accountability in preventing disasters

“Economic growth cannot be sensibly treated as an end in itself.”→ GS-3 Economy / Essay: Growth vs welfare; inclusive development

“The usefulness of wealth lies in the things that it allows us to do—the substantive freedoms it helps us achieve.”→ GS-3 / GS-4: Ethical use of wealth; welfare economics

“Social opportunities of education and health care complement individual freedom.”→ GS-3 / GS-2: Human capital investment; education and health as development tools

“Transparency guarantees are instrumental in preventing corruption.”→ GS-2 Governance / GS-4 Ethics: Transparency, trust, probity in public life

“Protective security is needed to prevent populations from being reduced to abject misery.”→ GS-3 / GS-4: Social security, welfare state, safety nets

“Development requires the removal of major sources of unfreedom.”→ Essay / GS-2 / GS-3: Poverty, tyranny, social exclusion as barriers to development

“Human rights and human development are deeply linked.”→ GS-2 / GS-4: Rights-based governance, dignity, constitutional morality