El desarrollo humano en la economía ética de Amartya Sen

Abstract

This Thesis is mainly focused on Amartya Sens Human Development concept: the philosophical foundation and its analysis from his economic theory point of view. Nowadays, this human development concept would help as the guideline and the basis for both a variety of theoretical propositions and for the activity of cooperation to development in a context of globalization. Along the thesis, it is shown a contextualization of the development theory both in the field of applied ethics and in the economic theory, and a critical review of the main paradigms of economic development. The social development model about Streetens Meeting Basic Needs paradigm is also analysed. From an ethical transformation of economic rationality, like Sen proposes, the basis of capabilities approach are set: first as an alternative of Streetens model, then as an alternative of Rawlss primary goods model and, in the end, as an alternative of utilitarism. Finally it is deeply analysed the model of human development, which consists in a enlargement of real freedom of human beings. This model is structured in three points: the perspective of real freedom, the capabilities approach and the model of person. It is introduced a Kantian philosophical foundation of the capabilities approach. The analysis of social choice theory is also reviewed in order to study the possibilities of the democratic basis of this model, opening it to the discursive ethics possibilities. And, in the third place, it is proposed the concept of autonomy as a better one of the Sens agency. In conclusion, Sens theory of human development, with this review and the philosophical refoundation from a Neokantian perspective, is considered the most ethically and economically responsible, and the best model of development for a global world.