Human Development Foundation

The HDF Mission Statement speaks of a “movement” for Human Development. But what does that movement look like? And why does it matter in contemporary America and the world?

Standard Theories of Development:

Dr. Mahbub ul Haq, one of the creators of the Human Development movement, defined Human Development simply as “a process of enlarging people's choices.” It is more than that, of course, but at its heart Human Development really is about providing more choices for all people, and thereby making it more likely that they will be able to build lives of dignity and self sufficiency. Human Development also represents a fundamental rethinking of how we measure human progress, starting with our economic assumptions.

The concept of human development was originally introduced as an alternative to conceptions of development that focused on economic growth - with or without equity considerations. A development concept contains within itself the answer to what development is. However, this answer can never be value-free. It will always reflect notions of what ought to be understood by development. These notions can be formulated as development objectives either in terms of particular conditions, which must be achieved, or in terms of a certain direction of change.

To illustrate, a development concept, like the one embodied in modernization theory, may claim that the large industrialized countries, e.g. the United State, are developed, i.e. they have achieved certain positively evaluated social and economic conditions. According to this conception, changes in Third World countries toward increasing similarity with these industrialized countries are regarded as development. Other changes are not generally regarded as such. According to this notion the dynamic change processes through which a country moves towards greater resemblance with the developed countries is called the development process.

Development theory seeks to answer questions such as the following: How can chosen and specified development objectives be promoted? What conditions will possibly obstruct, delay, or detract progress towards the objectives? What causal relationships and laws of motion apply to the societal change processes? What actors play dominant roles, and what interests do they have? How do the changes affect various social groups and various geographical regions?

Development strategy as an abstract notion refers essentially to the actions and interventions that can be appropriately used to promote strictly defined development objectives. Once again the basis is heavily value-loaded in that there are 'chosen' development goals. But there is - at least in principle - the possibility of a matter-of-fact weighing of which strategies are the most effective and least costly to promote the established objectives. In practice, though, decision makers as well as researchers often have had too little insight into the relevant contexts and causal relationships to ensure indisputable strategy choices. These are, therefore, in many cases more reflections of prejudices, ideologies and personal preferences.

Alternatives:

Other concepts of development focus more on the given conditions in Third World societies and define development in terms of bringing out and unfolding what is potentially contained in these societies. Often, emphasis is given here to increasing the capacities for taking and implementing decisions in accordance with nationally or locally perceived priorities.

As indicated above, the concept of human development emerged as an alternative to definitions of development which focused on growth. There has never been general agreement on how to define economic growth; nor on how best to measure growth in developing societies. Yet, wide approval has been gained today for a notion which defines economic development as a process whereby the real per capita income of a country increases over a long period of time while simultaneously poverty is reduced and the inequality in society is generally diminished - or at least not increased.

The standard definition of economic development embodies in principle a wish to improve living conditions, i.e. the general welfare, for all citizens of a society. However, in most of the literature and in the international debate the indicators for success remained limited to income measurements of one kind or the other. As a corollary, it was asserted that growth in real incomes was the main target.

This was disputed by prominent economists such as Amartya Sen, Paul Streeten, Mahbub ul Haq, and others who believed that increased incomes should be regarded as a means to improve human welfare, not as an end in itself (Sen, 1988; Streeten, 1994). To these economists, human welfare was the overall objective, the essence of development. Increased incomes and national economic growth were crucial preconditions for improvements in standards of living, but not the only preconditions.

Human Development:

With the first Human Development Report from 1990, prepared under the leadership of Mahbub ul Haq, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) adopted this basic criticism of income measurements and presented a more comprehensive concept of human development (UNDP, 1990). The report defined human development as a process of enlarging people's choices.

The concept of human development has gradually been extended into nearly all areas of societal development. To the original focus on the missing link between income and welfare has been added particular concern for the provision of social infrastructure and services that are made available on an equal basis to all citizens, with special emphasis on gender equality and equal opportunities for participation in political and economic decision-making. The latter requires both an enabling legal and institutional framework and empowerment of citizens and civil society organizations so that they become capable of reaching up to the authorities. Some of the adherents to the concept have furthermore put special emphasis on the environmental and natural resources aspects of sustainability.

In more specific terms, management of public resources must ensure more effective and efficient provision of social infrastructure and delivery of basic social services like education and health. In order to achieve these objectives most governments in the Third World will need to be strengthened considerably. They will need to have their capacities for reaching down and out to the citizens significantly enhanced. The point is that the emerging division of labor between state and market and between state and civil society requires governments that are capable of performing a range of key functions effectively, and increasingly they will need to partner with non-governmental organizations in order to achieve this level of performance. This is a basic precondition for achieving a higher degree of human development.

The solution to the problem of economic development is long term and will require changes in attitudes by decision makers throughout the world. It will also require changes in philosophy and curricula at institutions concerned with studying and advancing human development.

Why Human Development Matters to U.S. Policy Makers:

First, it’s important for policy makers to understand that Human Development is an alternative method for gauging human progress, as outlined above. Instead of using GDP, stock index movements, or corporate profits as measures of social well being, Human Development suggests we look at the level of opportunity available to everyone in a society, and in particular that we measure access to such basic social needs as education, non-toxic environmental conditions, adequate health care, and opportunities for business creation and economic growth.

Human Development can provide an organizing theme for progressive causes in America today:

• Human Development promotes the concept of self-help. Those who gain the most from Human Development programs are those who organize themselves most effectively, not those who take handouts.
  
• Human Development focuses most heavily on providing equality of opportunity, which is an essential underpinning of the American dream. Everyone should have a real opportunity to let their own hard work carry them to a better life.
  
• Human Development stresses mutual help, and an understanding of the common good. Organizations that develop Human Development structures succeed by operating cooperatively to enhance each person’s opportunity for advancement. This concept will be well understood by anyone in the “moral values” constituency.
  
• Human Development strengthens U.S. security. It works most effectively in areas of the world where dire poverty, illiteracy and hopelessness would otherwise provide fertile breeding grounds for extremist violence.
  
• Human Development is internationally recognized. The concept of Human Development underlies the U.N. Millennium Development Goals and the U.N. Development Program’s Human Development Index (HDI), which measures social wellbeing using Human Development metrics.

But most importantly, Human Development provides a language and a conceptual model for reframing the policy debates in the U.S. Instead of focusing on corporate profits, outsourcing, economic Darwinism and tax cuts for those who need them least, Human Development can reframe the debate by defining a new set of metrics for gauging the success of domestic or foreign policy. The Human Development model enables us to ask a simple question, “Does this policy raise the HDI level, or lower it?” By focusing on this metric we can effectively cast nearly any policy initiative as either progressive or regressive.

In summary, the Human Development concept provides a language that encompasses the most compelling strengths of the American mythos: hard work, self sufficiency, equal opportunity, and mutual cooperation. A progressive vision requires us to understand Human Development in its fullest, and to begin using it in the debate that will define America and its role in the world in the 21st Century.

The Role of HDF:

HDF recognizes that the human development paradigm is a holistic development model that embraces every development issue including economic growth, social investment, people's empowerment, the provision of basic needs such as education, health care and social safety nets, political and cultural freedom and all other aspects of people's lives. While no aspect of the development model falls outside its scope, the vantage point is the widening of people's choices and the enhancement of their lives. All aspects of life - economic, political and cultural are viewed from this perspective.

HDF operates under a fairly broad agreement on certain aspects of the human development paradigm, which HDF puts into practice in our own project areas.

• Development must put people, not statistics, at the center of its concerns.
• The purpose of development is to enlarge all human choices, not just income.
• The human development paradigm is concerned both with building up human capabilities through investment in people and with using those human capabilities fully through an enabling framework for growth and empowerment.
• Human development has four essential pillars:
  • education,
  • basic health care,
  • economic opportunity,
  • physical infrastructure, especially clean water facilities.
• The human development paradigm defines the ends of development and analyzes sensible options for achieving them.

The human development paradigm consistently takes the view that economic growth is essential for human development, but that growth needs to be properly managed by those most affected by it in order to fully realize the opportunities for improved wellbeing that growth offers.

These human development strategies approach every issue in the traditional growth models from the vantage point of people to establish the preeminence of people in the process of development. The purpose of Human Development is not to diminish the value of economic growth, but rather, to rediscover its real purpose.

Why Visionaries Selected HDF:

“Visionaries’ production crews have traveled across six continents and to more than 50 American cities to profile the extraordinary work of true philanthropists – people dedicating their lives and careers to the service of others. The documentaries seek to inspire wide audiences, serve as catalysts for positive social change, and promote philanthropy on a global level.

From the beginning, the concept of Visionaries was to utilize television as an instrument of service by producing positive, uplifting, and inspiring shows about individuals working for non-profits in an effort to make the world a better place. Although the nonprofit sector is one of the most active segments in the work force today, the media, who tend to focus on negative images, has largely ignored it. By profiling the people who are providing medical care, feeding the hungry, educating the poor and giving life and dignity back to millions of people around the world, and witnessing firsthand the successes of these ventures, Visionaries has set out to show that one person can make a difference.”

- Excerpted from The Visionaries publicity material

The Visionaries, a public TV documentary series hosted by acclaimed actor Sam Waterston, is dedicated to using the power of media to tell stories of people and organizations making positive social change throughout the world. Their goal is to use media and education to change people's lives.

The goals of the series are simple: honor the work of these otherwise unsung heroes while simultaneously inspiring viewers to take up a cause of their own choosing.

The Visionaries selected HDF for coverage because of the organization’s extraordinary commitment, through its dedicated volunteers, to supporting projects that dramatically improve living conditions for people in some of Pakistan’s most underserved areas.

Date/Time Last Modified: 3/7/2005 11:41:14 AM

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