HBSE 5
Development
as Freedom
What do we mean by Development?
Development refers to the processes and goals of improving individual well-being,
community strength, and societal progress to achieve a better quality of life and
greater social justice. It involves enabling people to reach their full potential by
investing in their capabilities, removing barriers, creating opportunities, and
fostering resilient, inclusive communities through both micro-level interventions and
macro-level social action.
What do we mean by Freedom?
Freedom refers to empowering clients to exercise their self-determination and live
free from oppression and discrimination, while also enabling social workers to
practice with professional autonomy to innovate and provide effective care. This
concept encompasses both negative freedom (freedom from interference) and
positive freedom (the capacity to act and achieve goals), grounded in human rights
and social justice principles to foster hope, self-esteem, and the ability to challenge
systemic injustices.
Development as Freedom
"Development as Freedom" in social work refers to an approach that views
development as the expansion of individual freedoms and capabilities, enabling
people to lead lives they value.
It's not just about economic growth, but about empowering individuals and
communities to make choices and improve their well-being.
Amartya Sen
He is best known for his work on the causes of
famine, arguing it's often due to poverty and lack
of access rather than overall food shortages. His
influential book Development as Freedom
connects economic development to increasing
people's freedoms and is a key thinker behind
the Human Development Index (HDI)
Two Forms of Freedom
Substantive freedom: The life people want to live freely or freedoms people
have reason to value.
Amartya Sen also gave the idea of instrumental freedom
He identified five types of freedom
Political freedom
Economic facilities
Social opportunities
Transparency guarantee
Protective security
5 Instrumental Freedoms
(Amartya Sen's Framework)
01 02 03 04 05
Political Freedoms and Economic Facilities Social Opportunities Transparency Protective Security
Rights and Opportunities Guarantees
Safeguards against
The ability to Access to resources, Access to essential Openness in social and deprivation like poverty
participate in political credit, and economic social services like political relations, and unemployment
processes, express markets, enabling education and fostering through social safety
dissent, and have individuals to engage in healthcare, which build accountability and nets and income
choices in public productive work. individual capabilities. trust. support.
policy.
What is the relationship between human
freedom and development?
The expansion of freedom (of the human
individual) is viewed both as the primary
end and the principal means of
development.
What is the relationship between human
freedom and development?
Deprivation = Poverty/Unfreedom
Development=expansion of capability
Quality of Life
The quality of life can be vastly raised,
despite low incomes, through an adequate
program of social services.
Sen on Evaluation of effective freedom
evaluation that focuses only on means, without considering what particular
people can do with them, is insufficient.
evaluation that focuses only on subjective mental metrics is insufficient without
considering whether that matches with what a neutral observer would perceive
as their objective circumstances.
evaluation must be sensitive to both actual achievements ('functionings') and
effective freedom ('capability').
Reality is complicated and evaluation should reflect that complexity rather than
take a short-cut by excluding all sorts of information from consideration in
advance... Therefore, evaluation of how well people are doing must seek to be as
open-minded as possible.
Social Change Driving Development
Social change plays a critical role in driving development by:
Expansion of Capabilities: Advances in education and healthcare directly enhance a
person's capabilities, providing valuable achievements and the means to pursue other
important goals.
Increased Opportunities: Social change creates new social and economic opportunities,
enabling individuals to make informed choices and improve their lives.
Empowerment and Agency: Informed collective action and changes in social roles
empower people, allowing them to have greater control over their lives and make their
own choices.
Fostering New Social Institutions: Changes in societal structures and institutions, from
government to economic systems, can be a catalyst for new freedoms and increased
well-being.
Conclusion
Social change and development are
intertwined processes. Development,
viewed as the expansion of freedom,
requires social change to challenge
existing inequalities and create
opportunities for all. By focusing on
enhancing individual freedoms and
capabilities, societies can achieve more
inclusive and sustainable development
outcomes.
Any
Questions?
Quiz Time!
1.What does development primarily refer to?
a. Economic growth only
b. Improving individual well-being, community strength, and societal progress
c. The exclusive prioritization of technological innovation and infrastructure expansion.
d. The imposition of stringent governmental oversight to ensure systemic stability.
2. Within the framework of social work practice, how is the concept of "freedom" most
comprehensively interpreted?
a. As the unbridled autonomy to engage in any chosen behavior, irrespective of societal
impact.
b. As the facilitation of self-determination among clients, coupled with the empowerment of
social work professionals to exercise autonomous judgment in their practice.
c. As the elimination of all regulatory frameworks to foster unfettered individual expression.
d. As the accumulation of personal wealth to secure exemption from socioeconomic
constraints.
3. "Development as Freedom" in social work emphasizes:
a. Economic policies
b. Expanding individual freedoms and capabilities
c. Government regulations
d. Infrastructure development
4. According to Amartya Sen, the relationship between human freedom and development is
that freedom is:
a. Freedom is a later result, happening after a country reaches certain economic and social goals,
making it a secondary concern to economic growth and stable governance.
b. Freedom is both the most important goal to strive for and the most necessary thing for lasting
and fair progress, creating a society where everyone can thrive with equal opportunities.
c. Freedom is only somewhat related to development and mostly concerns political matters, so it
should be considered separately from economic and social progress.
d. Freedom could slow down improving society, so it may need to be limited to efficiently move
forward development initiatives and achieve broader societal objectives.
5. Amartya Sen is most recognized for his work on:
a. Climate change
b. Causes of famine and the link between economic development and freedoms
c. Artificial intelligence
d. Space exploration
6. Amartya Sen identified two forms of freedom as:
a. Positive and Negative Freedom
b. Substantive and Instrumental Freedom
c. Economic and Political Freedom
d. Personal and Social Freedom
7. Which of the following is NOT one of the five types of instrumental freedom identified by
Amartya Sen?
a. Political freedom
b. Environmental sustainability
c. Social opportunities
d. Economic facilities
8. Protective security primarily refers to:
a. Military defense
b. Safeguards against deprivation through social safety nets
c. Cybersecurity measures
d. Border control
9. How does changing society help development?
a. By keeping things the way they are.
b. By giving people more skills and chances.
c. By ignoring what people want.
d. By having the government control everything.
10. According to Sen, an effective evaluation of freedom should mainly consider:
a.Economic indicators only
b. Political stability only
c. Actual achievements and effective freedom with an open mind
d. Subjective mental metrics only
1. Answer: (b)
2. Answer: (b)
3. Answer: (b)
4. Answer: (b)
5. Answer: (b)
6. Answer: (b)
7. Answer: (b)
8. Answer: (b)
9. Answer: (b)
10. Answer: (c)
Thank you
very much!
