Political Theory Chapter 10 Development

Development is a process that ensures good quality of life to all the people in terms of happiness, harmony and satisfaction of essential needs. It is related to improvement, progress and aspirations of people. This definition of development would benefit all the sections of society as it shows the basic need approach. It allows more people to make meaningful choices and the pre-condition for this is the fulfilment of basic needs like food, education, health and shelter.

The previous concepts of development that were based on only economic growth have not been beneficial for poor people and environment and have resulted in a wide gap between rich and poor and imbalanced ecology. Therefore, a definition that aims towards improving the quality of people's life would justify the essence of development.

Social costs of development

The new claims for rights that have been generated by the process of development are as follows:

The advantages of democracy over other forms of government for ensuring common good as the aims of development are as follows:

The concept of development gained importance after the second half of the twentieth century.

The strategies of development adopted in most countries have been ‘top-down’, that is, the selection of development priorities and strategies and the actual implementation of projects were all generally decided by the higher levels of the political leadership and bureaucracy. There was often little consultation with the people whose lives would be most immediately affected by development projects. Neither was their experience and the knowledge acquired over centuries utilized nor were their interests taken into account.

The distinction between democracy and dictatorship is that in a democracy conflicts over resources, or different visions of the good life, are resolved through debate and a respect for the rights of all and these cannot be imposed from above. 

Development should not be measured only by the number of cell phones in the country, or by the sophisticated weapons which are developed, or by the size of the cars which people drive, but by the quality of life enjoyed by people in terms of happiness and harmony and satisfaction of essential needs.

Efforts such as rain-water harvesting, solar and bio-gas plants, micro-hydel projects, compost pits to generate manure out of organic waste are examples in this direction.

The issues that have arisen while pursuing the goal of development reveal that the choices we make have an impact upon others — other human beings and other species in the world.

We must therefore see ourselves as part of the larger universe for our fates are linked together. Besides, our actions not only affect others, they also have an impact upon my own future possibilities. We need therefore to choose carefully, keeping in mind not just our present needs but also our long-term interests.

The notions:
(i) Environmentalists maintain that human beings should learn to live in harmony with the rhythms of the ecosystem and not manipulate the natural environment to serve their immediate interests.
(ii) They believe that mankind is using up and destroying natural resources to such an extent that we will bequeath only a barren earth, poisoned rivers and polluted air to future generations.

Some well-known environmental groups include Green Peace and the World Wildlife Fund and in India we have the Chipko Movement which emerged to protect the Himalayan forests.

Environmental groups try to pressurise governments to modify their industrial and developmental policies in the light of environmental goals.

The military rulers of Nigeria framed him in a murder case and the military tribunal sentenced him to death. 

When the ‘tsunami’ hit the South and South-East Asian coasts last year it was observed that the destruction of mangroves and the building of commercial enterprises along the shore line was the reason for the greater extent of the damage caused.

The ice in the Arctic and Antarctic is melting because of increased emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and this has the potential to cause floods and actually submerge low lying areas like Bangladesh and the Maldives.

A large number of people have been displaced from their homes and localities due to the construction of big dams, industrial activities and mining activities, or other projects.

The consequences of displacement:

(i) Displacement results in loss of livelihood and increases impoverishment.
(ii) If rural agricultural communities are displaced from their traditional occupations and regions they end up at the margins of society, swelling the large numbers of urban and rural poor.
(iii) Traditional skills acquired over an extended period may be lost.
(iv) There is also a loss of culture because when people are relocated they lose a whole way of community life. Such displacement has led to struggles in many countries.

Development conveys the ideas of improvement, progress, well-being and an aspiration for a better life.