Sen argues that there are five types of interrelated freedoms, namely, political freedom, economic facilities, social opportunities, transparency and security. Hence “development requires the removal of major sources of unfreedom: poverty as well as tyranny, poor economic opportunities as well as systemic social deprivation, neglect of public facilities as well as intolerance or overactivity of repressive states”. It is “the enhancement of freedoms that allow people to lead lives that they have reason to live”. This is because democratic governments “have to win elections and face public criticism, and have strong incentive to undertake measures to avert famines and other catastrophes”.ĭevelopment is the process of expanding human freedom. He claims that “no famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy”.

Such rights, especially freedom of the press, speech, assembly, and so forth increase the likelihood of honest, clean, good government. In winning the Nobel prize, Sen was praised by the Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences 'for his contributions to welfare economics' and for restoring 'an ethical dimension' to the discussion of vital economic problems.Īccording to Sen, development is enhanced by democracy and the protection of human rights. Sen is both the first Indian and the first Asian to win the Nobel prize for economics.

According to 1998 Nobel prize winner, Amartya Sen, freedom is both the primary objective of development, and the principal means of development. Over the centuries, there have been very many theories of development. Development means freedom, according to Amartya Sen, perhaps the greatest development thinker of our times.

Amartya sen development