Routledge Handbook of Development Ethics

Jay Drydyk and Lori Keleher have done a stellar job in bringing leading scholars in development ethics together for this Handbook of Development Ethics. The chapters in this handbook make it clear that development is not just about economic growth, but in the first place about wellbeing, justice, empowerment, the environment, human rights, cultural freedoms, and taking responsibilities. This handbook will become an essential resource for any student or teacher of development ethics. And it should be interesting for anyone who wants to think systematically about what matters when moving towards a better world for all. - Ingrid Robeyns, Chair in Ethics of Institutions, Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Utrecht University, Netherlands The three quarters of a century after the second world war has seen dramatic improvements, on average, in life expectancy, educational achievements, and income in parts of the world where these were lowest. The on average qualification is of course important-some have benefited much more than others, and significant numbers have been immiserized. What are the basic ethical principles according to which one would assess the gains for some against the losses for others in health, education and income? Are these the only dimensions along which changes are to be measured and assessed? And in any case, can such consequentialist perspectives capture the essence of ethical dilemmas in development? These questions do not make for easy answers, and there is lively debate among scholars on development ethics, animated by ground level political expressions, sometimes violent, of huge discontent among those being developed . This excellent volume brings together leading analysts to chart the terrain and lay the foundations for further systematic debate and exploration. It will become a go to reference for those working on normative assessment of the development process. - Ravi Kanbur, T.H. Lee Professor of World Affairs, International Professor of Applied Economics and Management, and Professor of Economics at Cornell University, USA This book is an extraordinary conversation among diverse ethical values that in the process revises each one of them. Like in a symphony, where the color and sound of an instrument is perceived differently when joined by others, the seven values organizing this handbook interact as living creatures. The orchestra is in place; and it is worth listening to it like a unified piece. It is much more than a handbook. - Javier M. Iguiniz-Echeverria, Professor Emeritus, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Executive Secretary of the National Accord of Peru, President of the Institute for Human Development in Latin America