Human Development

Learning Outcomes:

1. Differentiate between growth and development.
2. Understand the role of human development in improving lives.
3. Examine the four pillars of human development.
4. Analyze approaches to human development.
5. Compare international human development levels and indices.

Growth and Development

Growth and development both refer to changes over time, but they differ in nature: Growth is quantitative and can be positive or negative. In contrast, development is qualitative and always positive. Growth can exist without development, but development inherently implies positive change. For example, if a city’s population doubles but the infrastructure remains the same, it represents growth without development.

1. Growth is measured in numerical terms and can increase or decrease.
2. Development signifies qualitative improvements that are always positive.
3. Growth can exist without development, as seen in cities where populations rise without improvements in services.
4. Development involves enhancing the quality of life through better health, education, and infrastructure.

Human Development

The concept of human development emphasizes improving people’s lives by enlarging their choices and freedoms. Pioneered by Dr. Mahbub-ul-Haq and further expanded by Amartya Sen, this approach focuses on the well-being of individuals rather than just economic growth. Human development involves the ability to live a meaningful life, participate in society, and achieve personal goals.

1. Human development focuses on expanding people’s choices.
2. The goal is to ensure people live long, healthy, and meaningful lives.
3. Opportunities for health, education, and freedom are central to this concept.
4. Sen highlights the role of political and social institutions in expanding freedom as a critical aspect of development.

Important Note:

Negative Growth: Even cities can shrink due to factors like natural disasters, and this reduction signifies negative growth. However, growth can be negative due to other social and economic factors, not just disasters.

The Four Pillars of Human Development

Human development rests on four key pillars: equity, sustainability, productivity, and empowerment. These principles ensure equal access to opportunities, continual resource availability, enhanced human productivity, and the power to make informed choices.

1. Equity: Equal access to opportunities, regardless of gender, race, or social status.
2. Sustainability: Continuity in opportunity for future generations; current resources should not be depleted.
3. Productivity: Enhancing human labour productivity through education and health.
4. Empowerment: Ensuring people have the freedom to make choices, facilitated by good governance.

Approaches to Human Development

There are several ways to approach human development, with each emphasizing different aspects. These approaches are summarized in the following list.

1. Income Approach: Views development through the lens of income. The higher the income, the more freedom an individual enjoys.
2. Welfare Approach: Treats people as beneficiaries, emphasizing government spending on welfare and social services.
3. Basic Needs Approach: Focuses on providing essential services like health, education, sanitation, and housing.
4. Capability Approach: Associated with Amartya Sen, this approach highlights the importance of building capabilities in health, education, and access to resources.

Important Note:
Capability: People’s ability to make choices is essential. Without education, for example, certain career paths become unavailable.

Measuring Human Development

Human development is commonly measured through the Human Development Index (HDI), which evaluates three key areas: health, education, and access to resources. The life expectancy at birth reflects health, the literacy rate and gross enrollment ratio represent education, and purchasing power measures access to resources. Countries are ranked on a scale from 0 to 1, with higher scores indicating better development.

1. Health: Measured by life expectancy.
2. Education: Evaluated through literacy rates and enrollment.
3. Resources: Assessed by purchasing power in U.S. dollars.
4. The higher the HDI score, the better a country’s human development.

While the HDI measures attainments in development, it doesn’t reveal disparities. The Human Poverty Index (HPI) complements this by highlighting shortfalls in development, such as illiteracy or lack of clean water.

Table: Approaches to Human Development

International Comparisons of Human Development

Human development varies greatly across countries, and size or income does not directly correlate with high human development. Smaller nations often rank higher than larger, wealthier ones. Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago rank above India in the HDI despite having smaller economies. This indicates that social policies, particularly investments in health and education, play a significant role in human development.

1. Smaller countries often outperform larger economies in human development.
2. Investment in social sectors like health and education is crucial for improving development.
3. Sri Lanka and Kerala are examples of regions with higher human development despite lower per capita income.

Countries are classified into four categories based on their HDI scores:

Table: Top 10 Countries by HDI (2018)

Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness (GNH)

Bhutan uniquely measures progress through Gross National Happiness (GNH). This holistic approach values spiritual and cultural well-being over mere economic growth, emphasizing that material gains should not compromise happiness or the environment.

1. Bhutan uses GNH as a measure of progress, balancing material and spiritual growth.
2. The focus is on the well-being of people and the environment.

Challenges for Low Development Countries

Countries with low human development face challenges like political instability, social turmoil, and poor resource distribution. They often prioritize defense spending over social sectors, which hinders development.

1. Low human development regions often suffer from political instability.
2. Such countries tend to focus on defense, neglecting investments in health and education.
3. A lack of good governance exacerbates human development issues.

Important Note:
Countries with higher human development invest heavily in the social sector, ensuring better access to health and education, which fosters greater equality.

MCQ:
Which of the following best describes development?
(a) an increase in size
(b) a constant in size
(c) a positive change in quality
(d) a simple change in the quality
Answer: (c) a positive change in quality