Development as Freedom

Freedom, Sen argues, is finally both the end and most efficient means of sustaining economic life and the key to securing the general welfare of the world's entire population. Releasing the idea of individual freedom from exclusive association with any particular historical, intellectual, political, or religious tradition, Sen demonstrates with unmatched clarity and rigor its contemporary applicability and possibilities. In the new global economy, where, despite unprecedented increases in overall opulence, the contemporary world denies elementary freedoms to vast numbers - perhaps even the majority of people - he concludes, it is still possible to practically and optimistically retain a sense of social accountability. Development as Freedom is essential reading.