A social economics for humane and sustainable development

Abstract

Is development more than an economic process? Does economic development itself entail and/or require cultural and political change? Is the impact on human dignity of economic development policies an important criterion of success? Does development raise ethical issues as well as economic ones? Is the consumer-driven development in the advanced countries an appropriate model for developing countries in the globalizing world of today? These are among the core questions that social economists debate when considering the meaning and purpose of development. For example, see the work of Javier Iguíñiz (2006, 2010), Denis Goulet (1978, 2006), Pete Danner (2002), James Weaver (2004), Kenneth P. Jameson (1989) and Charles K. Wilber (2008-2009, 2011). How social economists differ from mainstream economists will be discussed later but first the historical background to modern development needs to be explored.