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Question

Who among the following has given the concept of Human Development?

This question was previously asked in
CDS I 2019 Elementary Mathematics Previous Year Paper (03-Feb-2019)
The correct answer is

Mahbub-ul-Haq

Understanding the Concept of Human Development

The question asks to identify the person who is credited with giving the concept of Human Development. Human Development is a broad approach that focuses on enlarging people's choices. It is about creating an environment where people can develop their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests.

Let's examine the contributions of the individuals listed:

  • Amartya Sen: A Nobel laureate economist known for his work on welfare economics, social choice theory, famine, development economics, and the capabilities approach. While his work on capabilities is fundamental to the philosophy of Human Development, he is not credited as the originator of the concept itself, though he was a close collaborator and intellectual partner.
  • Mahbub-ul-Haq: A Pakistani economist who is widely credited with conceptualizing Human Development as it is understood today. He defined it as a process of enlarging people's choices and introduced the Human Development Index (HDI) in 1990, which measures a country's average achievements in three basic dimensions of human development: a long and healthy life, knowledge, and a decent standard of living.
  • Sukhamoy Chakravarty: An Indian economist known for his contributions to development economics, particularly planning models. His work is significant but not directly related to originating the Human Development concept.
  • G.S. Chaddha: An Indian economist known for his research on agricultural economics, rural development, and poverty. While his work touches upon areas related to well-being, he is not the originator of the Human Development concept.

Based on the understanding of the concept and the contributions of these economists, Mahbub-ul-Haq is the economist who gave the concept of Human Development.

Revision Table: Key Concepts in Human Development

Concept Key Figure(s) Brief Description
Human Development Concept Mahbub-ul-Haq Enlarging people's choices and capabilities.
Capabilities Approach Amartya Sen Focuses on what people can do and be with the resources they have. Forms a philosophical basis for Human Development.
Human Development Index (HDI) Mahbub-ul-Haq (with collaboration from Amartya Sen) Composite index measuring health, education, and income.

Additional Information: Expanding on Human Development and HDI

The concept of Human Development was a paradigm shift from focusing solely on economic growth (measured by GDP) to focusing on human well-being and capabilities. Mahbub-ul-Haq argued that the real wealth of a nation is its people.

The Human Development Index (HDI), introduced in the first Human Development Report in 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), was created as a tool to measure and compare levels of human development across countries. It provides a broader measure of progress than just economic indicators.

The three dimensions of HDI are:

  • Health: Measured by life expectancy at birth.
  • Education: Measured by expected years of schooling for children and mean years of schooling for adults.
  • Standard of Living: Measured by Gross National Income (GNI) per capita adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).

Amartya Sen's work on capabilities provides the ethical and philosophical framework for the Human Development approach. Capabilities are the real opportunities people have to be or do different things, like being healthy, being educated, or being able to participate in community life.

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