- Equity – Equal access to opportunities for all people, regardless of gender, caste, race or income.
- Sustainability – Resources must be used carefully so that future generations also get equal opportunities.
- Productivity – Improving people’s skills, health and education to increase their work efficiency.
- Empowerment – Giving people the power and freedom to make their own choices.
- Focus on People – Human development aims to improve people’s quality of life by expanding their capabilities and opportunities.
Definitions [1]
Define Human Development.
“Human development is a process of enlarging the range of people’s choices, increasing their opportunities for education, health care, income and empowerment and covering the full range of human choices from a sound physical environment to economic, social and political freedom.”
Key Points
Key Points: Approaches to Human Development
- Main Approaches – Four approaches to human development are: Income approach, Welfare approach, Basic needs approach, and Capability approach.
- Income Approach – Human development is measured by income level; higher income means higher freedom and better development.
- Welfare & Basic Needs Approach – Focus on government spending and providing basic needs like health, education, food, water, sanitation and housing.
- Capability Approach – Given by Amartya Sen; development means building people’s capabilities in health, education and access to resources.
- Human Development Index (HDI) – Measures development based on health (life expectancy), education (literacy & enrolment), and income (purchasing power). Score ranges from 0 to 1.
- Human Poverty Index (HPI) – Measures deprivation in areas like survival, literacy, clean water and child nutrition; shows shortfall in development.
- Other Measures – UNDP publishes Human Development Reports annually; Bhutan uses Gross National Happiness (GNH), focusing on happiness and quality of life along with material progress.
Key Points: Growth and Human Development
- Growth vs Development – Growth is quantitative (increase or decrease in numbers). Development is qualitative and always positive (improvement in quality of life).
- Growth does not always mean Development – Increase in population or income alone is not development unless living conditions also improve.
- Old View of Development – Earlier, development was measured only by economic growth (increase in income).
- Human Development Concept – Introduced by Dr. Mahbub-ul-Haq; development means enlarging people’s choices and improving their lives.
- Amartya Sen’s View – Development means increasing people’s freedom and reducing unfreedom.
- Main Aspects of Human Development – Good health, education, and access to resources for a decent standard of living.
- Importance of Capabilities – Without education, health and resources, people cannot make proper life choices; therefore, building human capabilities is essential for development.
Key Points: International Comparisons
- Size and income do not decide HDI – A large country or high per capita income does not always mean high human development (e.g., Sri Lanka ranks higher than India).
- Four categories of HDI – Countries are grouped as Very High (above 0.800), High (0.700–0.799), Medium (0.550–0.699), and Low (below 0.550).
- Very High HDI countries – 69 countries (2023–24) fall in this group, including Switzerland, Norway and Australia; they invest heavily in health and education.
- High HDI countries – 49 countries; strong social sector spending, good governance and political stability are common features.
- Medium HDI countries – 42 countries; many are former colonies or emerged after World War II or the Soviet Union breakup; improving through people-oriented policies.
- Low HDI countries – 33 countries; affected by political instability, civil wars, famine and diseases; need urgent development policies.
- Key factors behind HDI levels – Higher investment in social sectors, political stability, freedom and equal distribution of resources lead to higher human development.
Key Points: Four Pillars of Human Development
