K. Seeta Prabhu and Sandhya S. Iyer, Human Development in an Unequal World

Abstract

With the introduction of the human development approach in the 1990s, the concept of development is no longer limited to raising per-capita income, industrial and technological advancement or social transformation. It has extended to humane development dimensions such as the equal distribution of resources, eradicating poverty, freedom of choice and justice. The current COVID-19 pandemic crisis has unveiled the flaws in the popular idea of 'development'. It has left millions (of people) behind, rendering current development models unsustainable. The course of action followed by governments worldwide in handling the pandemic has reshaped the debate and broadened our understanding of the quality of life, self-respect, dignity, capabilities and entitlements, critical elements of the human development approach.The continuing challenges of unsustainable growth, multidimensional poverty, climate change and rising inequalities require a reorientation of the present development doctrine towards a more humane, human development paradigm. The human development perspective has evolved in the last three decades, but its use has not been explored. K. Seeta Prabhu and Sandhya S. Iyer attempt to fill this gap in Human Development in an Unequal World. The book provides a straightforward exposition of the critical dimensions of human development and the capabilities approach. The book has 10 chapters. It intends to provide an objective assessment and comprehensive understanding of human development through conceptual, theoretical and empirical dimensions.The introductory chapter begins with the theoretical evolution of the concept of 'human development'. The human development concept is not a new one. The emergence of the human development concept can be traced from well-known thinkers and philosophers like Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Jeremy Bentham, John Rawls and Robert Nozick. The human development approach differs from others like economic growth, human resource development, human capital and basic needs. The literature on human development mentions three important ways in which this approach differs from other approaches. These are (a) the definition of ends and means; (b) concern with human freedoms and dignity, and (c) concern with human agency, that is, the role of people in development.In this context, Prabhu and Iyer reflect on issues like human rights and human security as essential instruments in achieving human flourishing and well-being.Chapters 2 and 3 discuss the concepts of capabilities, entitlements and human flourishing, fundamental to the human development discourse. One of this book's essential elements is that it presents Sen and Martha Nussbaum's approach to capability as an integrated theoretical framework that provides pathways to human development through productivity processes, empowerment, equity and sustainability; the authors also provide evidence of this from developing countries. The authors have argued that implementing the Right to Food Act 2013 in India has provided legal entitlements to existing ...