Development

40 Casanovas famous theory of the deprivatization of religion is a good example in that

tradition.⁴³

41 determination” and “self-reliance”, but also “sense of purpose in life” (Streeten et al

1981:34).

The declaration of Human Rights of 1948, in its article 18, state the right to religious freedom and the need to respect and not discriminate people because of their religion. The Human Rights did not become a norm for development until later, much due to the fact that development was considered an economic term (Deneulin & Bano 2009:40). But from 1990 and onwards the Human Rights seemed to emerge as a norm for development. This raised new questions, as to which of the rights that should take precedence over the others. In our context, interestingly, the 2004 UNDP Human Development Report stated that development concerns such as health and education were more pressing than religious and cultural rights, thus favouring the former in a potential conflict.

Gradually the term of poverty has been redefined. Whereas the economic perspective, and whether people have access to the bare necessities of life will always remain at the heart of the term, it has grown to encompass other dimensions of human existence as well. The 2000 World Bank publising “Voices of the poor” added yet another dimension to the development discussion. By interviewing people living in poor

circumstances about what significant development was to them, new questions were asked:

What is significant change, and what is good? And which changes, for whom, matters most? Answers to these questions involve material, physical, social, psychological and spiritual dimensions… The increments in wellbeing that would mean much to the poor widow in Bangladesh- a full stomach, time for prayer, and a bamboo platform to sleep on- challenge us to change how we measure development. (Narayan et al 2000:

264)

As a consequence, poverty was now understood as a multi-dimensional problem, and development the solution to these problems- a solution that had to deal with several dimensions of human existence.

42 When discussing

contemporary development theory, one must also mention the influential role of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), pronounced by the United Nations in September 2000.⁴⁵ In emphasizing a set of concrete goals within specific fields, these goals mark a new

way of thinking development. The objectives are supposed to be met within 2015, and are, as we see, quite broad in their scope. In our context, we remark the specific goals on health and HIV/AIDS.

3.3.2 Development as a value-based process

Common for most approaches to development is that it is understood as a positive term which brings along positive processes.

One of the most notable additions to developmental thought in recent time is the paradigm of human development. Building on the works of economist Amartya Sen’s work in Development as Freedom, the notion of human freedom, and the realisation of human capabilities are central to this paradigm. Poverty, he states, is better understood as a deprivation of human capabilities, than as a lowness of income⁴⁶. These capabilities are plural elements which promote life quality, and within the term he acknowledges elements as education, health, bodily integrity and political participation. Thus the capability-approach focuses on deprivations that are intrinsically important, not just instrumentally important (Sen 2000:87)

45 The Millenium Development Goals are found at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/. Accessed 16/7-2013

46 However, income poverty is definitely a major part of poverty understood as deprivation capabilities, as well as the latter influences the former (Sen 1999:87-90)

The Millennium Development goals 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower

women

4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Develop a global partnership for development

43 Sen argues that development is fundamentally about the freedom of every individual to choose health, education, community life and so on. Development then becomes the practices which expand people’s possibilities to pursue the freedoms that they have reason to pursue. Freedom is central for two capital reasons:

1) The evaluative reason: assessment of progress has to be done primarily in terms of whether the freedoms that people have are enhanced;

2) The effectiveness reason: achievement of development is thoroughly dependent on the free agency of people. (Sen 2000:4)

Freedom then, is both the means and the ends of development. Whether progress has been made is dependent on whether people’s fundamental freedoms have been enhanced.

Freedom is also the instrumental means to enhance fundamental freedoms, and Sen identifies five forms of such instrumental freedoms, namely political freedom, economic facilities, social opportunities, transparency guaranties and protective security. These freedoms are interconnected (Sen 2000:38-41).

Furthermore, he argues that the interaction between different political actors is what lays the premises for development. He thus brings back politics to centre stage of the

development discussion and argue that by understanding this, he also opens up for the fact that social norms and values play a central part (Sen 2000:8-9). Sen recognizes social values as constitutive of- and instrumental for- substantive freedoms, but emphasize the values that people have a reason to pursue. With this it is not meant that the authoritative power should implement and define these values, but that they should reflect the outcome of a public and democratic process, thus reflecting the will of the people as a whole (Sen 2000:78-81; 287).

On this basis religion becomes important, as it helps shape and influence societal values (Deneulin & Bano 2009:46). Furthermore, Deneulin & Bano draws attention to the fact that politics are brought back into the discussion. This because development is a product of the interaction of different political actors. In analysing this process, one must also pay attention to possible religious influences on these actors (Deneulin & Bano 2009:46).

Through the Human Development approach with its focus on indigenous

perspectives, values and Civil Society, a lot more space has been created in including new

44 perspectives into the discussion. This conception of development as freedom, and a value- based process, constitutes the basic understanding of development in this study.