138 results on '"Human development"'
Search Results
2. How is the Capability Approach Applied to Assess Well-being Impacts? A Systematic Review.
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Bartolomei, Livia, Blundo-Canto, Genowefa, and De Muro, Pasquale
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CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *WELL-being , *RECREATION ,DEVELOPING countries - Abstract
A shift in how to measure well-being using more appropriate and coherent indicators has been long called for. Nonetheless, monetary indicators, such as income and GDP, or utilitarian frameworks, remain the most common approaches used. The capability approach (CA) has been advocated as an alternative framework to measure well-being. This paper aims to capture the state-of-the-art of how the CA has been applied to assess or characterise the well-being impacts of project-based development interventions in Global South countries. The ultimate goal is to discuss whether the CA provides more varied and complex indicators of well-being and therefore more comprehensive impact assessments. The results highlight that qualitative and participatory approaches are frequently applied methods to assess individual capabilities, most often related to educational, economic, social and empowerment dimensions. Capabilities linked to environmental and recreational activities, as well as collective capabilities, were significantly overlooked. Quantitative approaches to impact evaluation were less frequently used. This paper provides a first systematic review on the use of the CA to assess well-being impacts. Future applications of the CA could focus on better integration of qualitative and quantitative approaches for robust impact assessments and targeting understudied capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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3. Economic and Social Policies for Human Development.
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Nayyar, Deepak and Malhotra, Rajeev
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SOCIAL policy , *ECONOMIC policy , *GLOBAL Financial Crisis, 2008-2009 , *CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *GOVERNMENT policy - Abstract
Economic and social policies of governments could improve or worsen the wellbeing of people, so that their impact on human development could be positive or negative. This article discusses the role, as well as the scope, of public policies for human development in the contemporary developing and industrialised worlds, buffeted by frequent global and local economic crises, including a health pandemic of unprecedented proportions, where mainstream economic policies have often been detrimental, rather than conducive, to advancing human wellbeing. The paper revisits the human development framework and anchors it in an interpretation of the capability approach that helps in delineating economic and social policy pathways to desirable outcomes. It argues that this is essential for an effective operationalisation of the approach to human development. Building on that, it explores the nature of economic and social policies that might constitute an appropriate policy-mix for advancing human development. In doing so, it recognises that, while human development problems in poor and rich countries are similar, the choices, sequencing and prioritisation of policies will inevitably be determined by the country-context and government-objectives. Given the context, it suggests that the framework of SDGs at the national level could enable a focus on human development objectives in the policy design and strategic response of countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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4. Macroeconomic Policies for a Sustainable World.
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Stewart, Frances
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CLIMATE change , *STANDARD of living , *TAX expenditures , *CONSUMPTION tax , *TRANSITION economies , *LOW-income countries , *HIGH-income countries , *SUSTAINABILITY - Abstract
The urgency of the climate crisis is such that it needs to inform most policy-making. It represents a major threat to human development. Yet while the existence of the crisis is generally acknowledged, this has not affected macro-economic policy even though the climate crisis has major effects on the accepted objectives of macro-economic policy, including growth and economic stability. The paper explores changes in macro-economic policy needed for sustainability which should become an intrinsic and overriding objective of policy. Implications of doing so are explored, including replacing the growth objective with green/sustainable growth, altering the measurement of GDP accordingly; greatly increasing the weight given to the well-being of future generations with implications for interest and investment rates; and reforming taxes and expenditures. Ballooning of debt is justified to support a rapid transition to a carbon-free economy. Among high-income countries, the growth objective should be questioned. Low income countries need green growth to attain reasonable living standards. Large-scale resource transfers to low income countries are essential to support green expenditures for mitigation and especially adaptation. High priorities are a change in the approach of the IMF and World Bank, and innovative financial mechanisms to support the required transfers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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5. Welfare Poverty Measurement.
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Villar, Antonio
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POVERTY rate , *SOCIAL services , *HUMAN Development Index , *VECTOR valued functions , *SOCIAL skills - Abstract
This paper proposes an approach to poverty measurement based on the interpretation of poverty as a welfare loss, along the lines laid in Chakravarty [Chakravarty, S. R. 1983. "Ethically Flexible Measures of Poverty." Canadian Journal of Economics 16: 74–85]. A multidimensional poverty index is derived here from a social welfare function and a vector of poverty thresholds, following the aggregate achievement approach. Poverty is measured as the relative welfare loss due to the insufficient welfare of those agents whose achievements do not reach the minimum established. Using standard social welfare functions, we derive a welfare poverty measure that combines rather explicitly the different aspects of poverty measurement (incidence, intensity and inequality). We include an empirical application to the measurement of between-country poverty, based on the three dimensions that conform the Human Development Index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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6. Humane Security: Solidarity in Policy and Practice.
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Khoo, Su-ming
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HUMAN security , *SOLIDARITY , *HUMAN ecology , *SOCIAL movements - Abstract
This paper responds to the UNDP 2022 Special Report on Human Security in the Anthropocene (hereafter 'UNDP Special Report', UNDP 2022), and HDCA Human Security Thematic Group's sessions at the 2022 HDCA Antwerp conference, focused on interrogating the 'soul' of the human security concept. In order to facilitate the practical implementation of human security principles, I offer six integrative suggestions for a convergent view that reinforces human security's emancipatory critical and transformative potential, substantiating the UNDP Special Report's demand for greater solidarity: i) recalling the Stockholm Conference's agenda for global solidarity; ii) drawing on emancipatory legacies of established social movements; iii) applying differentiated measures to address vulnerability; iv) learning from indigenous and local insights on 'coordination' that emphasize relationality; v) decentralizing policy and practice; and, vi) An integrative perspective deepening the 'humane' interpretation of human security, taking on the Ogata-Sen recommendations for integrated policies, jointly emphasizing survival, livelihood and dignity. Keywords: Human security; Anthropocene; human development; UNDP Special Report 2022; Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment; Ogata-Sen Commission on Human Security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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7. Human Security in the Anthropocene: A New Base for Action.
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Biggeri, Mario and Tapia, Heriberto
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HUMAN security , *CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *CRYSTALLINE lens , *CORE competencies - Abstract
The idea of "human security" is gaining a new round of attention in the academic and policy agenda, as a new era of global changes is affecting people's core capabilities. In this Policy Forum the "human security lens" engages with human development and the capability approach. It presents different perspectives of genuine action-oriented human security, and it aims to provide valuable insights for policy issues and recommendations in the current context of interlinked threats. This Policy Forum aims to help relaunching the debate on policy interventions for human security within the capability approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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8. Universalism in Healthcare for Human Security: Policy Considerations.
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Schillings, Tobias, Sánchez-Ancochea, Diego, and Mohammed, Rehana
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HUMAN security , *HEALTH equity , *UNIVERSAL healthcare , *SOCIAL groups ,DEVELOPING countries - Abstract
Universal healthcare, encompassing coverage, generosity, and equity in health benefits and services, directly enhances human security. Expanding universal healthcare is becoming increasingly important amidst heightening, interrelated threats to human security. Developing countries are likely to bear greater impacts from these threats, but have healthcare systems that are inadequately prepared for the same. To strengthen healthcare universalism, policymakers must aim for the joint advancement of coverage, generosity, and equity as policy outputs. Building universal systems is necessarily a long-term effort, and each country's pathway will depend on its specific policy architecture and opportunities for reform. Policymakers must seek to create the right policy trajectories for expanding universalism over time, taking into account that approaches that incentivise coalition building across social groups can help sustain political support for future expansion. Prioritising unified systems that provide the same benefits to everyone can help mitigate inequities, strengthen resilience, and ensure the long-term sustainability of the system. Global trends and experiences of many developing countries demonstrate that progress on healthcare universalism is achievable at all levels of development, and is among the most important strategies today for advancing human security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2023
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9. Democratic Dead Spots: Local Elections and Human Development in Brazil.
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Sugiyama, Natasha Borges, Touchton, Michael, and Wampler, Brian
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LOCAL elections , *CITIZENS , *EDUCATIONAL outcomes , *HUMAN beings , *PUBLIC goods - Abstract
Democracy's proponents argue that decentralisation improves service delivery, expands local accountability, and engages citizens in public life. However, the combination of democratisation and decentralisation sometimes sustains subnational authoritarianism, resulting in differential redistribution of power that limit citizens' ability to pursue and secure public goods. In this article we ask: To what extent do authoritarian enclaves affect well-being? Few studies have systematically examined how basic democratic failures affect human development outcomes at subnational levels. We address this gap by investigating the effects of local "democratic dead spots" in Brazil. This approach yields the first large-scale quantitative analysis of the consequences of subnational authoritarianism for human development. Our unique dataset covers Brazil's 5,570 municipalities from 2006 to 2018 and lets us estimate the effects of local elections on human development over time and across space, while controlling for common explanations for human development (e.g. local governance, wealth, social policy, and partisanship). We find that local democratic dead spots are associated with systemically low levels of human development performance. Following uncompetitive elections, health outcomes are systemically lower over five years: an entire mayoral term and one year beyond in comparison to other, very similar municipalities. Education outcomes are also systemically lower, but the effect does not extend beyond one mayoral term. The cumulative results suggest that uncompetitive elections undermine human development, at the very least in the short to medium term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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10. Leaving no Country Behind: A Fuzzy Approach for Human Development.
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García-Pardo, F., Pérez-Moreno, S., and Bárcena-Martín, E.
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HUMAN Development Index , *FUZZY logic , *HUMAN beings - Abstract
"Leaving no one behind" (LNOB) constitutes one of the core principles underpinning the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. We propose a complementary fuzzy logic approach to identify countries left behind in human development and each of its dimensions. We find that the countries left furthest behind at the beginning of the century were those that most reduced gaps with respect to better performing countries after two decades. Nevertheless, we cannot clearly speak of convergence in human development. There are notable exceptions, such as the Central African Republic, Liberia, Yemen, Haiti or Venezuela, which despite the improvement in their Human Development Index worryingly increased their gaps in human development dimensions relative to the rest of the world. Our analysis highlights significant advantages of using the proposed fuzzy-based LNOB approach to incorporate the moral imperative of leaving no country behind in the measurement of human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2023
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11. Capabilities, Innovation and Economic Growth in EU Regions.
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Capriati, Michele
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ECONOMIC expansion , *TECHNOLOGICAL innovations , *ECONOMETRIC models , *REGIONAL development , *SPACE-based radar , *PANEL analysis - Abstract
This article discusses the links between human development, innovation and economic growth. After a brief theoretical preamble, I present a framework bringing together the relationships between those processes in a circular causation diagram. I then examine these relationships using data on 266 European regions covering the period 2000–2015. I test two econometric models: one based on panel (3SLS), the other on spatial analysis (SAR). The first helps me explore, in more detail, the relationship between innovation, human development and income. The results indicate a mutually reinforcing relationship between them. The associations between human development and innovation, and GDP and innovation are found to be particularly strong. The spatial analysis further confirms the existence of virtuous circles and the presence of spatial interrelationships, both in terms of spillover and feedback effects. Consequently, I argue, these variables should be promoted simultaneously. I highlight two points that seem especially worthy of being developed in future work: the importance of setting human development as the ultimate goal of innovation policy, and the need to formulate macroeconomic policies fostering innovation and human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2022
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12. Understanding a "Development Miracle": Poverty Reduction and Human Development in Malaysia Since the 1970s.
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Asadullah, M. Niaz, Mansor, Norma, and Savoia, Antonio
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POVERTY reduction , *MIRACLES , *GENDER inequality , *HUMAN beings , *ECONOMIC development , *TECHNOLOGICAL progress - Abstract
This paper provides a systematic assessment of the alleged exceptionality of Malaysia's development progress and its likely explanations, in comparative perspective. Using cross-country regressions and aggregate indices of education, health, poverty and gender equality outcomes, we produce evidence based on conditional correlations, offering three findings. First, the results support the hypothesis that Malaysia's human development progress has been exceptional compared with that of countries with a similar level of economic development, primarily for the period 1970–1990. Next, we show that such progress is associated with a combination of income-mediated and support-led mechanisms, including Malaysia's early emphasis on education and health inputs and infrastructure development. Finally, we look at long-term roots of its progress, arguing that early advantage in state capacity may be at the origin of Malaysia's successful implementation of poverty reduction and growth-enhancing policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
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13. Footprints of a Winning Idea: Three Decades of the Human Development Paradigm (1990–2019).
- Author
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Joshi, Devin K.
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CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *WINNING & losing (Contests & competitions) , *HUMAN beings , *HAMILTON Depression Inventory , *ECOLOGICAL impact - Abstract
The rise and fall of international development paradigms has long captured the interest of scholars, but interpreting whether a paradigm is winning or losing depends largely on how we measure its success. In this research note, we contribute to this debate by assessing the influence of development paradigms via comparative bibliometric analysis. Focusing on the human development and capabilities approach (HDCA) promoted by the Human Development Reports (HDRs) of the United Nations, our analysis reveals how the HDCA has emerged to become an influential paradigm of development over the last three decades. As the HDCA has fared impressively well vis-à-vis numerous alternative development paradigms and approaches including Marxism, modernisation theory, dependency theory, "pro-poor growth" and "aid effectiveness," we conclude that despite being relatively new, the HDCA has become one of the most influential approaches to development in the world today. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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14. Accelerating Women's Empowerment Through Legal Empowerment and Social Accountability Strategies: International Development Law Organization (IDLO).
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Pizzamiglio, Raffaella and Kovacs, Pamela
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WOMEN'S empowerment , *INTERNATIONAL law , *ORGANIZATIONAL change , *TEENAGE girls , *SELF-efficacy , *POOR communities - Abstract
While legal empowerment (LE) and social accountability (SA) strategies have evolved separately, they share common aims and overriding principles. Both promote human rights and social justice and provide knowledge and skills to individuals and communities to act and seek solutions to problems through grassroots education, mobilisation and empowerment. Further, they help strengthen participatory decision-making and power-sharing between poor and marginalised communities and state authorities. This article reviews the International Development Law Organization's (IDLO's) approach in integrating LE and SA strategies for HIV prevention programming among adolescent girls and young women and its promising potential for women's empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2021
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15. Meaningful Labour, Employee Ownership, and Workplace Democracy: A Comment on Weidel (2018).
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McGranahan, Lucas
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EMPLOYEE ownership , *LABOR , *DEMOCRACY , *INDUSTRIAL management - Abstract
Timothy Weidel has argued that Martha Nussbaum's list of central capabilities should be amended to include a capability for meaningful labour. This paper extends Weidel's ideas, arguing that meaningfulness in the workplace cannot be addressed without critically examining the formal ownership and management structure of businesses. Through specific examples, I argue that capabilities scholars and practitioners ought to encourage the proliferation of employee-owned and democratic businesses as a part of their human development strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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16. COVID-19 as a Capability Crisis: Using the Capability Framework to Understand Policy Challenges.
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Anand, Paul, Ferrer, Bob, Gao, Qin, Nogales, Ricardo, and Unterhalter, Ellaine
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COVID-19 - Abstract
This paper shows how the policy challenges arising from COVID-19 can be understood by drawing on core concepts from the capability approach developed by Sen and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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17. Extending the Intersection Approach.
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Cato, Susumu
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ETHICAL problems , *ROAD interchanges & intersections - Abstract
The intersection approach is a common method of overcoming a conflict among multiple values. Under this approach, a state is more desirable than another if it is so for all criteria in question. A fundamental difficulty is that judgment under the intersection approach lacks completeness in too many cases. We propose alternative methods that extend the intersection approach: the union and union-intersection approaches. Our methods generate a (quasi-)coherence judgment which is more completed and can be applied to most problems of ethical indices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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18. Imagining Development: The Chilean Dictatorship and the Case for Political Freedom as a Factor in the Human Development Index.
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Niedmann Álvarez, Natalia
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HUMAN Development Index , *LIBERTY , *DICTATORSHIP - Abstract
Should political liberties be included in the Human Development Report? Their brief and controversial debut on the report between 1991 and 1993 seemed to close the door for political liberty measurements because of their technical difficulties. Yet, political freedoms seem to be ever more urgent capabilities. This paper intends to reopen the debate on whether political freedoms should be incorporated into the Human Development Report. It uses the Chilean dictatorship's example to reflect on how development is inevitably trumped without them. After briefly responding to some of the main criticisms political freedoms measurements have encompassed the paper proposes an additional reason to incorporate them: they portray the only truly collective capability, representing an essential aspect of human existence which is now absent from the Report. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2020
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19. The View from the Farm: Gendered Contradictions of the Measurement Imperative in Global Goals.
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Pérez Piñán, Astrid and Vibert, Elizabeth
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WOMEN'S empowerment , *SUSTAINABLE communities , *VEGETABLE farming , *GENDER inequality - Abstract
How do global development goals translate into local action? How do such goals support or undermine already existing efforts, at the local level, to build robust and sustainable communities? In this article we examine the experience of a women's cooperative vegetable farm in rural South Africa, considering the on-the-ground consequences of high-level planning for development and, in particular, the measurement and accountability demands associated with such initiatives. We focus on the broad aims of Sustainable Development Goals 2 (to end hunger) and 5 (to achieve gender equality and women's empowerment). We explore farmers' responses to external demands for measurement and accountability, some of which they are not well equipped to meet and others of which collide with their own priorities to support their households and wider community. We find a major problem of translation between global goals and the needs of people on the ground: far from resulting in material support for small-scale farmers, the daily burdens of the 'audit society' directly impede aims like ending hunger and achieving gender equality. The first section of the paper briefly canvasses recent efforts at global goal setting, considering the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and SDGs in turn. The longer second section offers the case study of the women's farm, examining how the measurement demands related to global goals impact locally generated priorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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20. Human Development and Universalism: From Ideas to Policies.
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Jahan, Selim
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UNIVERSALISM (Political science) , *LIBERTY - Abstract
Human development is about the freedom to realize the full potential of every human life, not just for a few, not for the most, but of all lives in every corner of the world—now and in the future. Human development is for everyone and that universalism is at the core of the human development concept and framework. The paper argues that universalism as a principle is one thing, translating it into practice is another. That is where practical universalism comes in, the first steps of which are identifying the groups, which have been left behind in the human development journey and analyzing the barriers to universalism. The paper emphasizes that mapping of those left out is necessary and so is the identification of barriers, but not enough. Some fundamental issues of the human development framework—both in terms of notions as well as measurements—need to be addressed to move towards universal human development. Furthermore, universal human development would also require policy actions at the national level and reforms of global institutions. The paper concludes with the fundamental point that ensuring human development for everyone would require reaching those first who are farthest behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2019
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21. On "Affluent Philosophy" and Future Generations: Amartya Sen and Tim Mulgan's "Broken World".
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Qizilbash, Mozaffar
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SUSTAINABILITY - Abstract
In Tim Mulgan's imaginary "broken world" survivors of catastrophic climate change (or some other disaster) cannot invariably meet their basic needs. Mulgan provides lectures on the moral philosophy of an earlier "affluent age" in which Amartya Sen appears briefly as an "affluent thinker." I argue that some of Sen's work is highly relevant to the concerns of survivors in part because it focusses on conditions of extreme deprivation and survival. While Sen has written about sustainability and environmental concerns both at a foundational level as well as in his work on India, critics may argue that he has failed to engage adequately with these issues. I explore this line of criticism and make some points which are relevant to its evaluation including some which count in Sen's defence. I also argue that Sen's ideas influenced Derek Parfit's seminal work, and are relevant to the subsequent philosophical literature, on future generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2019
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22. Access to Household Resources and Human Development: Evidence from Survey Data for Tanzania.
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Bandara, Amarakoon, Dehejia, Rajeev, and Lavie-Rouse, Shaheen
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HOUSEHOLDS , *SOCIAL indicators , *FOOD security - Abstract
We use five rounds of two large-scale surveys conducted in Tanzania to explore the two-way relationship between household resources and human development. Several indicators for household resources have been used in the exercise. We find systematic evidence of a relationship in both directions, with household resources enhancing human development and human development feeding into increased resources. While the overall results do indicate a positive relationship between household resources and human development, the magnitude of the effects of key indicators such as income per capita and expenditure per capita on human development outcomes is sobering. However, we see larger effects of household resource variables such as durable assets and wealth on human development outcomes. While household resources is likely to be a primary driver of progress in human development indicators in Tanzania, results seem to suggest its limitations and potential in future human development gains. We also find strong positive effects of human development aspects such as literacy, schooling and food security on household resources. Household resources at the regional level tend to drive human development in females, in terms of access to health care, more than males. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
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- 2017
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23. Exploring the Role of the Capability Approach in Social Innovation.
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Tiwari, Meera
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CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *SOCIAL innovation , *POVERTY - Abstract
The emergence of the co-operative movement in the nineteenth century with Robert Owen’s work in particular promoted innovation in the social field. In more recent times, the application of the concept has been in a wide range of sectors from civil society, government and the corporate world. The paper uses the Capability Approach (CA) to understand the human dimensions of social innovation (SI). In doing so, the paper draws attention to the complementarities between the CA and SI. Four case studies from different domains are deployed to further the understanding of the SI using a CA lens. The findings offer a new insight into SI in terms of the CA that maybe relevant in a wide range of domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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- 2017
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24. Understanding Indigenous Innovation in Rural West Africa: Challenges to Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Current Social Innovation Practice.
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Matthews, Joel R.
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SOCIAL innovation , *INDIGENOUS peoples ,DEVELOPING countries - Abstract
Most social innovation (SI) work done in developing countries is carried out through development agencies that focus on initiating innovations and processes, and establishing institutions that cultivate a change-oriented mindset. I offer a general critique of that approach and I link that critique with my observations from 15 years living and working among rural indigenous people in West Africa. I suggest that, not only do much of the SI processes fail to show respect for the creativity and intelligence of indigenous people, they tend to come packaged with exogenous participatory processes, encourage scaling-up, and ignore innovation that is already occurring. These arguments set the stage for an examination of a system of innovation that I discovered operating in a Hausa village in Niger. This system not only challenges the most important theory explaining the adoption and spread of ideas, the diffusion of innovations, it also demonstrates how indigenous people in one of the poorest countries on earth are innovating without intervention or support from development agencies. I complete the paper by suggesting that in some cases more sensible SI can be facilitated by discovering and supporting indigenous processes of innovation rather than by focusing on initiating change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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25. Information Technology, Innovation and Human Development: Hospital Information Systems in an Indian State.
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Sahay, Sundeep and Walsham, Geoff
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INFORMATION technology , *SOCIAL innovation , *INFORMATION storage & retrieval systems - Abstract
This paper addresses the topic of how innovation based on information and communication technologies (ICTs) can contribute to human development. A theoretical framework is developed in two stages. Firstly, ICT-based innovation is conceptualized as involving technological, social and institutional innovations. Secondly, Sen’s capability approach is drawn on to theorize how such innovations can contribute to human development. The theoretical framework is used as a basis to explore a rich case study of the development and use of a hospital information system within the public sector of the State of Himachal Pradesh in India. The paper analyses both the potential that the system has to promote positive development outcomes in the State, but also the challenges which constrain that impact. Three human development themes are identified and discussed: strengthening processes to include the disadvantaged; empowering the patient and making communal voices count. Finally, it is argued that the theoretical approach in the paper may have applicability in other contexts where ICT-based innovations are aiming to support human development outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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26. Social Innovation and Human Development—How the Capabilities Approach and Social Innovation Theory Mutually Support Each Other.
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Howaldt, Jürgen and Schwarz, Michael
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SOCIAL innovation , *SOCIAL change , *SOCIAL theory - Abstract
In light of the growing importance of social innovations in addressing the big social challenges, this article examines the need to develop a concept of social innovation as an analytical category. As such, social innovation is grounded in social theory, which looks at its various manifestations, actors and cultural contexts as well as its interrelationship with processes of social change. With recourse to social practice theories and the social theory of Gabriel Tarde, social innovations are analyzed as an intentional new figuration of social practices and as a generative mechanism of social change. Based on the outlined social-theoretical foundation of social innovations, the various interactions between social practices, social innovations and concepts of human development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2017
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27. Validating an Agency-based Tool for Measuring Women’s Empowerment in a Complex Public Health Trial in Rural Nepal.
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Gram, Lu, Morrison, Joanna, Sharma, Neha, Shrestha, Bhim, Manandhar, Dharma, Costello, Anthony, Saville, Naomi, and Skordis-Worrall, Jolene
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PUBLIC health , *POLITICAL attitudes - Abstract
Despite the rising popularity of indicators of women’s empowerment in global development programmes, little work has been done on the validity of existing measures of such a complex concept. We present a mixed methods validation of the use of the Relative Autonomy Index for measuring Amartya Sen’s notion of agency freedom in rural Nepal. Analysis of think-aloud interviews (n = 7) indicated adequate respondent understanding of questionnaire items, but multiple problems of interpretation including difficulties with the four-point Likert scale, questionnaire item ambiguity and difficulties with translation. Exploratory Factor Analysis of a calibration sample (n = 511) suggested two positively correlated factors (r = 0.64) loading on internally and externally motivated behaviour. Both factors increased with decreasing education and decision-making power on large expenditures and food preparation. Confirmatory Factor Analysis on a validation sample (n = 509) revealed good fit (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation 0.05–0.08, Comparative Fit Index 0.91–0.99). In conclusion, we caution against uncritical use of agency-based quantification of women’s empowerment. While qualitative and quantitative analysis revealed overall satisfactory construct and content validity, the positive correlation between external and internal motivations suggests the existence of adaptive preferences. High scores on internally motivated behaviour may reflect internalized oppression rather than agency freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2017
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28. Investing in Early Childhood Development: Essential Interventions, Family Contexts, and Broader Policies.
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Wodon, Quentin
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CHILD development , *EDUCATIONAL programs , *EDUCATIONAL intervention , *EDUCATION policy , *HUMAN Development Index - Abstract
Access to quality early childhood development (ECD), care, and pre-primary education is essential for child development and is now recognized as a priority under the Sustainable Development Goals. Investments in ECD by major donors have been rising rapidly in recent years. This makes the task of understanding better what works to promote ECD, and what may not work as well, a priority. The objective of this special issue of theJournal of Human Development and Capabilitiesis to contribute to the evidence base in three areas—the roles of program interventions, family contexts, and broader policies in ensuring optimal child development. The issue consists of five research articles, most of which provide evaluations of specific interventions, as well as three shorter notes considering broader policy issues. The main conclusions of the various contributions are summarized in this article together with a brief introduction to simple conceptual frameworks that countries, donors, and other stakeholders may find useful when considering alternative ways to invest in ECD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2016
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29. How Do Aspirations Matter?
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Hart, Caroline Sarojini
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AMBITION , *CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *WELL-being , *QUALITY of life , *STUDENT attitudes - Abstract
This paper explores the complex roles of aspirations in relation to human development, drawing upon the capability approach. The paper examines the notion of feasibility of aspirations and the impact feasibility judgements have on aspiration formation and aspiration realization, in terms of both capabilities and functionings. In particular this paper extends existing theory by building on Hart's dynamic multi-dimensional model of aspiration and Hart's aspiration set (2012. Aspiration, Education and Social Justice - Applying Sen and Bourdieu. London: Bloomsbury). The theorization builds on empirical work, undertaken in the UK, seeking to understand pupils’ aspirations on leaving school and college at age 17–19 as well as reviewing wider empirical and theoretical literature in this field. The discussion contributes to capability theory by extending understanding regarding first, the way that aspirations are connected to capabilities and functionings, secondly, the processes by which aspirations are converted into capabilities and thirdly, how certain capabilities become functionings. The paper reflects on the criteria that inform choices about the cultivation and selection of different aspirations on individual and collective bases. In concluding the paper the question of, “how do aspirations matter?” is addressed. Ultimately, an argument is made for the need to “reclaim” a rich multi-dimensional concept of aspiration in order to pursue human development and flourishing for all. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
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30. Inequality Decomposition and Human Development.
- Author
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Martínez, Ricardo
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN Development Index , *EQUALITY , *SOCIAL indicators , *EDUCATIONAL attainment , *INCOME - Abstract
The human development index (HDI), which takes into account achievements in health, education, and income, is considered a good measure of the social attainments of a country. The global cross-country distribution of human development is imbalanced and the degree of convergence is low. This inequality has varied during recent years. In this paper we present evidence that improvements in the convergence of human development across countries are mostly attributed to education, whereas health and income have made poor contributions. To do this we exploit the multiplicative structure of the HDI and several decompositions of the Theil inequality index. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2016
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
31. For Sustainable SDGs: Righting Through Responsibilities.
- Author
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Nawn, Nandan
- Subjects
- *
SUSTAINABILITY , *ECONOMIC development , *INTERNATIONAL law , *HUMAN ecology - Abstract
Sustainability of SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) are contingent on both ‘weak sustainability’ and ‘strong sustainability.’ Rights-based approach, the most prevalent one in the international policy space towards sustained realization of development goals, is unlikely to ensure either of the sustainability notions. Rather it has to be the (moral) responsibility of the State, communities, and even individuals. After all, adoption of language of responsibility in international environmental law vis-a-vis ‘unidirectional externalities’ has been successful in maintaining the critical natural capital for the ‘sink’ function. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
32. Post-2015 Development Agenda: Human Agency and the Inoperability of the Sustainable Development Architecture.
- Author
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Asah, Stanley T.
- Subjects
- *
SUSTAINABLE development , *HUMANITY , *OPERATIONAL definitions , *CULTURAL relations - Abstract
Although the post-2015 development agenda is commendable in several ways, I content that it pays inadequate attention to human agency and, therefore, to human development and capabilities, which are necessary to meet sustainable development goals. First, I critique the post-2015 UN development agenda and associated sustainable development goals. I focus those critiques on the notions ofdevelopment as if it were charityand associated illusion of human rationality, and the partial conceptualization and operationalization of human agency as if agency depended only on contexts. Through these critiques, I illustrate human irrationality and the consequent unsustainability of the charity approach to development. I identify and characterize the development architect and the development agent, to facilitate necessary understanding and operationalization of the behavioral attributes of psychological agency, which I argue to be fundamental to human development and capabilities and, therefore, to sustainable development. For development to materialize, people have to behave in certain ways, and for people to act voluntarily, they have to be motivated. It also follows that for development to be sustainable, the motivation to be developed has to come from within the self—intrinsic to the individuals and social collectives to be developed. Thus, substantial efforts must be made to thoroughly understand and operationalize human agency, critical for achieving individual, and social—including institutional—behaviors that enable self-organized development, a key attribute of sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
33. Human Development as Positive Freedom: Latin America in Historical Perspective.
- Author
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Prados de la Escosura, Leandro
- Subjects
- *
ECONOMIC development , *GROSS domestic product , *LONGEVITY , *EDUCATION , *LIFE expectancy , *GLOBALIZATION - Abstract
How has Latin America's well-being evolved over time? How does Latin America compare to today's developed countries (OECD, for short)? What explains their differences? These questions are addressed using an historical index of human development. A sustained improvement in well-being can be observed since 1870. The absolute gap betweenOECDand Latin America widened over time, but an incomplete catching-up—largely explained by education—occurred since 1900, but faded away after 1980, as Latin America fell behind theOECDin terms of longevity. Once the first health transition was exhausted, the contribution of life expectancy to human development declined. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
34. The Composite and Dynamic Risks and Vulnerabilities of Ethiopian Children: The Case of Children in Addis Ababa.
- Author
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Hailu, Daniel
- Subjects
- *
CHILDREN , *PSYCHOLOGICAL vulnerability , *SOCIAL conditions of children , *ETHNOLOGY , *CHILD development - Abstract
The article sketches an ethnographic portrait of the composite and dynamic risks and vulnerabilities of Ethiopian children. The sketch was based primarily on content analysis of 123 stories of child vulnerabilities told by frontline workers in 62 child-focused projects in Addis Ababa. Initial analysis distinguished between “culture” and “causes of child vulnerabilities” as two broad categories of concepts underlying the stories. The category of “culture” subsumes beliefs, values and norms that have structured relationship with and among children, while “causes” subsumes economic, social and psychological conditions that have resulted in actual and potential threats to the normal development and well-being of children in the ethnographic site. The complex relationships between these two categories were subsequently interpreted against the background of the integrative and disintegrative elements of the dominant Ethiopian culture (Korten 1972.Planned Change in a Traditional Society: Psychological Problems of Modernization in Ethiopia, With Frances F. Korten. New York: Praeger). The resulting portrait describes the multiple ways in which the identified causes of child vulnerabilities have grown in influence over the past decades to disturb the balance that historically existed between the integrative and disintegrative elements of culture, increasingly compromising the coherence of the social environment that provided for culturally normal development of children. Policy implications of the analysis are highlighted by way of conclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2015
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
35. A Capability Approach to Intergenerational Justice? Examining the Potential of Amartya Sen's Ethics with Regard to Intergenerational Issues.
- Author
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Gutwald, Rebecca, Leßmann, Ortrud, Masson, Torsten, and Rauschmayer, Felix
- Subjects
- *
INTERGENERATIONAL relations & ethics , *CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *SOCIAL justice , *ECONOMIC development , *SUSTAINABILITY - Abstract
The idea of intergenerational justice has practical consequences, not least because it is linked to the politically influential, wide-ranging concept of sustainable development. It also bears on several philosophical puzzles arising in the context of intergenerational justice. They need to be solved in order to establish a case for intergenerational obligations of justice. In this paper we shall examine Amartya Sen's capability approach in the light of these questions. In developing an account of human development, Sen's capability approach suggests a conception of some aspects of intragenerational justice, but not of intergenerational justice itself. This paper aims to close this gap in two steps: first, it identifies necessary elements of a theory of justice; second, and subsequently, it examines how successful the capability approach is in providing these elements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
36. Against Happiness: A Critical Appraisal of the Use of Measures of Happiness for Evaluating Progress in Development.
- Author
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Stewart, Frances
- Subjects
- *
HAPPINESS , *ECONOMIC development , *WELL-being , *HUMAN rights , *UTILITARIANISM , *CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) - Abstract
The idea that measures of happiness, or subjective well-being, should be used as the sole (or dominant) measure of country progress has gained considerable support. This paper traces the origins of the approach in the works of eighteenth-century and nineteenth-century utilitarians, whose thinking ultimately provided the foundations for income as the measure of progress, equating income and utility. In contrast, the recent approach of neo-utilitarians intends to replace income as the objective by measures of happiness derived from surveys. This paper assesses happiness as the objective of development and a measure of progress, contrasting it with human rights and capabilities approaches and the promotion of justice, which each also challenge the income measure. The paper considers problems with the happiness approach arising from difficulties in measurement, people's tendency to adapt to their circumstances, and its inability to capture the well-being of future generations, while also providing a weak basis for distributional judgements. The author argues that human progress involves promoting human fulfilment or flourishing (including meeting agency goals), securing a just distribution, and ensuring that this is sustained over generations. Cross-country surveys of human well-being can go nowhere near to measuring this extensive array of objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
37. A Robust Multi-dimensional Poverty Profile for Uganda.
- Author
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Levine, Sebastian, Muwonge, James, and Batana, Yélé Maweki
- Subjects
- *
POVERTY , *ECONOMIC development , *CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *STOCHASTIC dominance , *HOUSEHOLD surveys ,UGANDAN economy - Abstract
We compute a Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Uganda following the specification by Alkire and Santos and the general approach of Alkire and Forster. Using household survey data we show how the incidence of multi-dimensional poverty has fallen in recent years and we use the decomposability features of the index to explain the reduction in multi-dimensional poverty. The robustness of our results is tested in a stochastic dominance framework and using statistical inference. Notably, we extend the one-dimensional analysis of stochastic dominance to include household size as a second dimension, thus taking into account that MPI indicators are collected at both household and individual levels. Moreover, we extend the standard two-stage application of the MPI to include a third stage, which is important given the high degree of multiple deprivations within the standard of living dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
38. National or International Poverty Lines or Both? Setting Goals for Income Poverty after 2015.
- Author
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Greenstein, Joshua, Gentilini, Ugo, and Sumner, Andy
- Subjects
- *
POVERTY , *HUMAN rights , *ECONOMIC trends - Abstract
Debate on what should follow the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) from 2015 onwards has mushroomed. A focus on “ending” poverty (however defined) is likely to form a central part of the future framework. This paper discusses MDG 1, income poverty. Our paper is a commentary written to contribute to the set of papers in this special issue. In this paper we argue that there are, alongside valid rationales, important critiques of the targets and indicators selected for the income poverty goal from both the human development and human rights perspectives. These should be taken into account more fully in the debate on what should follow MDG 1 on income poverty reduction (and the implicit hierarchy of placing income poverty as the “first-among-equals” goal). We review the institutional history of the MDG income target along with the critiques, and present data trends to date and projections with regard to income poverty, as well as discussions on the relationship between and relevance of nationally set versus internationally set poverty lines and their use in any post-2015 UN agreement. We argue for the importance of national ownership and the incorporation of context-specific measures of poverty, and that any new poverty goals should be designed with political mobilization as a consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
39. Muddying the Water? Assessing Target-based Approaches in Development Cooperation for Water and Sanitation.
- Author
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Langford, Malcolm and Winkler, Inga
- Subjects
- *
WATER utilities , *SANITATION , *WATER purification , *WASTE management - Abstract
In the debate on the post-2015 development agenda, a clear preference exists for simple and quantifiable targets. The water sector provides a useful perspective in which to evaluate the use of this strategy because it has been subject to quantitative target setting since 1976. We critically analyze two early periods of target setting together with their most recent incarnation in the Millennium Development Goals. In so doing, we identify two stories concerning the utility of such a turn to metrics: the first is a perennial and at times justified optimism in target setting, and the second is a more cautionary tale about the dangers of measurement and its tendency to gloss over challenging but significant issues. In addition, we offer some brief conclusions on the implications for the post-2015 agenda and some potential measurement alternatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
40. The MDG Hunger Target and the Competing Frameworks of Food Security.
- Author
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Fukuda-Parr, Sakiko and Orr, Amy
- Subjects
- *
FOOD security , *FOOD supply , *PRIVATE sector , *ECONOMIC sectors - Abstract
This paper explores the effects of global goals on policies and ideas in development. The paper analyzes the consequences of the Millennium Development Goal hunger target on international development priorities and discourse. We argue that while the target did little to mobilize support to hunger as a global priority, it had more important implications for reshaping food security strategies. It reframed the narrative of hunger around under-nutrition targets that could be reached through narrowly focused and targeted interventions. Since 2000, strategies adopted by high-profile and well-resourced global initiatives emphasize short-term achievements of results, technological solutions, and the important role of the private sector. This contrasts with the 1996 World Food Summit consensus that conceptualized food as a human right, and food security as a multi-dimensional challenge emphasizing social, economic and political change. Although global goals focused on outcomes are intended to be neutral with respect to the strategic means to achieve them, the hunger target reframed the hunger challenge as a consumption issue amenable to short-term, technology-driven solutions. Left out of this frame are the long-term solutions to access, dependence on wage exchange, smallholder production, and social transfers. The choice of indicators also contributed to this simplification, marginalizing issues of vulnerability and instability in access, nutritional quality, and the host of social and political constraints. The target illustrates the power of target setting in framing the international development policy discourse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
41. Why Global Goals and Indicators Matter: The Experience of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Millennium Development Goals.
- Author
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Yamin, Alicia Ely and Boulanger, Vanessa M.
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN rights , *REPRODUCTIVE health , *MATERNAL health services , *WOMEN'S health services - Abstract
This article begins by providing some context for the selection of targets and indicators chosen to measure Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5, “improvement in maternal health,” considering why the broad vision of sexual and reproductive health and (reproductive) rights set out at international conferences in the 1990s was reduced to maternal health in the MDGs in 2001. We consider the intended and unintended consequences to the sexual and reproductive health and rights agenda based on the choices made with respect to the selection of the targets and indicators under MDG 5, and their conversion into national planning tools. Finally, we set out criteria for the selection of goals, targets, and indicators, which we believe should be applied to the post-2015 global development agenda-setting process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
42. Full Employment Target: What Lessons for a Post-2015 Development Agenda?
- Author
-
Van Der Hoeven, Rolph
- Subjects
- *
POVERTY , *EMPLOYMENT , *NUTRITION , *SOCIAL contract - Abstract
Traditional development aid interventions, as formulated in the Millennium Development Goals, might not be the most effective response for the poor to grow out of poverty due to the triple crises of nutrition, finance and environment, in addition to the changing geopolitical landscape. New challenges therefore need to be confronted in a post-2015 agenda, which could be the best part of a global social contract in which all concerns should therefore be discussed in order to reach the goal of full and productive employment. Coherent policies both at national and international levels are needed that go far beyond concerns of development aid and successful technical assistance projects. The challenge is to have these policies well articulated in a post-2015 development agenda, otherwise full employment would remain a lofty and elusive goal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
43. Development Projects from the Inside Out: Project Logic, Organizational Practices and Human Autonomy.
- Author
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Muñiz Castillo, Mirtha R.
- Subjects
- *
AUTONOMY (Psychology) , *HUMAN biology , *PROJECT management , *STAKEHOLDERS , *HUMAN beings , *PSYCHOLOGY - Abstract
This article connects human development thinking to the operational realities of project design and management. It explores how externally supported projects influence the local participants' autonomy, considering that enhanced autonomy promotes long-run development effectiveness. Evidence from four projects in Central America indicates that managers need to understand project logic well beyond a “logframe.” Project practices reveal the implicit real assumptions and affect the participants' autonomy and the projects' effectiveness and sustainability. The article examines the projects' “full autonomy logic” and explores the stakeholders' assumptions and values. It looks not only at the expected changes but also at the actual felt changes in participants' lives, based on organizational practices. When practices constrain the opportunities and felt competence of individuals to help themselves, the “development” that is promoted is not sustainable. In contrast, project planners and managers should consciously select autonomy-supportive practices to further sustainable human development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
44. Technology and Human Development.
- Author
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Ranis, Gustav and Zhao, Xiaoxue
- Subjects
- *
INTELLECTUAL property , *GROWTH , *COMMUNICATION & technology , *TECHNOLOGY & state , *PATENT law , *GOAL (Psychology) - Abstract
This paper has two main objectives. The first is to focus on the role of technology, in combination with human development, in generating the growth needed for further increases in human development, which is seen as the bottom-line output. The second objective is to explore how technology measured by total factor productivity can itself be better explained by way of examining the role of openness, foreign direct investment and various types of patents. The contrast between Latin America and Asia with respect to these variables is established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
45. Aspirations and Human Development Interventions.
- Author
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Conradie, Ina and Robeyns, Ingrid
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN growth , *DEVELOPMENTAL biology , *POVERTY , *BIOLOGICAL adaptation , *SOCIAL structure , *ONTOLOGY - Abstract
What role can aspirations play in small-scale human development interventions? In this paper, we contribute to answering that question with both conceptual and empirical work. Aspirations can play at least two roles in small-scale human development interventions: the capabilities-selecting role and the agency-unlocking role. While aspirations also face the challenge of adaptation to adverse circumstances and unjust social structures, we argue that this challenge can be met by embedding the formulation and expression of aspirations within a setting of public discussion and awareness-raising activities, and that adaptation can be further countered by including a commitment to action. We then report on field research done in Khayelitsha, a township in Cape Town, South Africa, where a group of women went through a process of voicing, examining, and then realizing their aspirations. The action research confirms our theoretical hypotheses. We also do not find any evidence of adaptation of the women's aspirations, and argue that the absence of such adaptation might be a result of active capability selection, reflection, deliberation, and the exercise of agency throughout the action research programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
46. Rethinking Human Development in the Middle East and North Africa: The Missing Dimensions.
- Author
-
Salehi-Isfahani, Djavad
- Subjects
- *
HUMAN beings , *HYDROCARBONS , *INCOME , *LABOR market , *INTERNATIONAL trade - Abstract
In this paper I review the state of human development in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) and its evolution in the past four decades. I highlight the following salient characteristics of MENA economies that shape human development in the region: high income from hydrocarbon exports, which drive a wedge between individual productivity and consumption; demographic factors, such as delayed fertility transition and rapid growth of the youth population; imbalances in the labor markets, evidenced by high rates of youth unemployment and low participation of women in the labor market; high investment in schooling but with low productivity of education; and imbalance in marriage markets resulting in delayed marriage. I argue that these regional characteristics affect welfare and human development in MENA countries deeply but in ways that are not easily captured by standard human development measurement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
47. Does Corporate Social Responsibility Contribute to Human Development in Developing Countries? Evidence from Nigeria.
- Author
-
Lompo, Kevin and Trani, Jean-Francois
- Subjects
- *
SOCIAL responsibility of business , *SOCIAL development , *PETROLEUM prospecting , *PETROLEUM industry , *NONGOVERNMENTAL organizations ,DEVELOPING countries - Abstract
Oil companies have been facing criticism linked to their activities in developing countries from various human rights organizations as well as non-governmental organizations and the media. To change this negative perception, companies have been increasingly promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, which aim at improving living conditions of local communities in oil exploitation areas. In this paper, we explore the impact on the well-being of communities of two kinds of CSR initiatives implemented in two areas of the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Using multidimensional exploratory methods and checking for robustness using binary logistic regression, we investigate the outcome of CSR initiatives on individuals' empowerment, community participation, and access to basic capabilities such as education, health, shelter, electricity, water and sanitation. Our results show that there is a limited benefit in terms of human development for the population. However, the impact differs according to the strategy of implementation: ‘top-down’ non-participatory approaches to CSR extend the access to basic capabilities for some privileged socio-economic groups, while ‘bottom-up’ participatory approaches positively impact collective capabilities of the whole community, but these more recent initiatives have, to date, little effect on the expansion of basic capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
48. A Sustainability-Fitting Interpretation of the Capability Approach: Integrating the Natural Dimension by Employing Feedback Loops.
- Author
-
Schultz, Emily, Christen, Marius, Voget-Kleschin, Lieske, and Burger, Paul
- Subjects
- *
CAPABILITIES approach (Social sciences) , *SUSTAINABLE development , *JUSTICE , *SCARCITY , *RECURSIVE functions , *ECONOMIC demand - Abstract
Combining the Capability Approach (CA) with Sustainable Development (SD) is a promising project that has gained much attention. Recently, scholars from both perspectives have worked on narrowing gaps between these development approaches, with a focus on the connection between the CA as a partial justice theory and SD as a concept embracing justice and ecological fragility and relative scarcity. We argue that to base an SD conception on the CA, the CA must be further developed. To provide the rationale for this claim, we begin by clarifying how we look upon the relation between SD and the CA and how we understand SD (1). We then argue for an integration of the natural dimension in the CA (2). By analyzing similarities of recent contributions integrating the natural dimension, we identify how the CA structure may be developed to include the recursive relation between the human and natural dimensions and especially to include the circumstances of justice relevant to SD (3). Finally, we argue that a new recursive and dynamic CA structure is related to the debate on criteria for ‘valuable’ in the term ‘valuable functionings’ and that this points to an expansion of the CA's evaluative space (4). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2013
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
49. Did Population Well-being Improve During Porfirian Mexico? A Regional Analysis using a Quasi-Human Development Index.
- Author
-
Campos-Vázquez, Raymundo M. and Vélez-Grajales, Roberto
- Subjects
- *
WELL-being , *HUMAN Development Index , *POPULATION , *ECONOMIC development - Abstract
It is argued that economic growth during the Porfiriato did not improve the well-being of the Mexican population. One explanation for such result is that the economic growth pattern was skewed and benefited more the northern states and less the southern ones. Following the estimation method of the Human Development Index, we calculate a Quasi-Human Development Index for the Mexican states during the period 1895–1910. Results show that at the start of the period (1895) the northern states were already the most developed. During the next 15 years this pattern was maintained and the dispersion in human development increased marginally. Finally, it is shown that the true losers of the Porfiriato were the states surrounding Mexico City and not the southern ones. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
50. Human Development and Sustainability.
- Author
-
Neumayer, Eric
- Subjects
- *
SUSTAINABILITY , *SUSTAINABLE development , *WELL-being , *EMISSIONS (Air pollution) , *ENVIRONMENTAL policy , *ECONOMIC indicators - Abstract
This article reviews existing linkages between the two broad concepts of human development and sustainability and discusses ways in which the often separate literatures can learn from each other. It proposes a practical way in which the measurements of human development and sustainability can be linked with each other. Empirical results for both a weak and a strong sustainability indicator are presented for the time period 1980–2006. The most important policy conclusion derived from these results is that countries of high to very high human development face the double task of achieving strong sustainability by severing the link between high human development and strongly unsustainable carbon emissions and helping other countries, particularly those with low levels of human development, to achieve weak sustainability in the first place and strong sustainability eventually. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]
- Published
- 2012
- Full Text
- View/download PDF
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