Unnayan O Swakshamata by Amartya Sen [Hardcover]

Amartya Sen's contributions to the foundational issues in welfare economics are vast. Drawing from economics and philosophy, he introduces a dimension of ethics in the discussion of key economic problems. In Development and Freedom, he quotes 18th-century poet William Cowper, saying, "What is it to be truly free when one is content in slavery?" Professor Sen explains how, in a world where overall prosperity has increased, millions of people are still victims of unfreedom—bound by poverty, social exclusion, political oppression, or cultural despotism. The primary goal of development, he argues, is to spread self-agency and its qualities among the unfree. Self-agency is the most effective way to achieve social welfare. Social institutions such as markets, political parties, parliaments, the judiciary, and the media contribute to expanding individual freedoms and fostering development, while simultaneously preserving their own integrity through societal values. Sen expertly presents the interconnection between values, institutions, development, and freedom on a nuanced analytical canvas. He raises the question of the relationship between our collective economic resources and our capacity to live as we choose, incorporating individual freedom as a social responsibility. In doing so, he brings economics into the realm of the individual's well-being and the social foundation of self-agency. This book, translated into more than twenty-five languages worldwide, beautifully weaves together Sen's recent thoughts on economic development, social justice, and human rights. The translator, Arvind Ray, is a distinguished industrial director and the author of several books including The Indian Manager in Search of a Style, The Manager Beyond the Organization, and the novel Saroe is Knowledge.