Amartya Sen received the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1998. This award recognizes the revolutionary role that he played in ‘welfare economic’: putting social change at the centre of economic policy and development. In 2000, he published the book ‘Development as Freedom’, which outlines his thesis on why freedom (in its many forms) should be the end goal of development, not merely a by-product of good economic outcomes. Sen advances this by arguing that freedoms are not only the proposed end goal but also mechanistic components for process of holistic socioeconomic development. Sen’s arguments are lucidly constructed and enriched by several real-world examples to demonstrate his points.

Sen approaches his arguments from a liberal perspective, arguing that democracy, justice, and equitable economic opportunities are central pillars to the ideal State. He is at pains to defend these critical foundations of his analysis throughout the book, but especially in the first few chapters. He does not shy away from considering alternative perspectives and diligently outlines the opposing arguments for the reader before rebuffing them in no uncertain terms with his own lines of reasoning and evidence. Those that are not of liberal disposition may find themselves at odds with Sen because of this approach, but his arguments are convincing and should succeed in moving readers further left as they progress through the book.

Sen may be a liberal evangelist, but he is also not hesitant to outline where system failures exist, and rather than prescribing liberal democracy as a panacea, he takes a pragmatic approach to the development of freedoms and openly admits that they are very large, intertwined, wicked problems. He openly points to otherwise hallowed examples of contemporary democratic nations and outlines their deficiencies, such as the United States of America’s relatively higher rates of African American mortality and their lack of universal, accessible healthcare. Sen also looks back at historical examples and outlines how social development (e.g., literacy) has unlocked economic prosperity for certain nations. At one point, he uses two examples from within the same country (India) to contrast how different provincial approaches to social issues resulted in vastly different economic outcomes, despite similar contexts and opportunities. This is demonstrative of Sen’s thorough, real- world approach. His thesis is not merely academic or hypothetical and has immediate real-world applications and consequences.

This real-world approach makes this a very valuable thesis with applicability to modern day policy and development. Liberal politicians should internalize Sen’s tenets and attempt to implement holistic development accordingly. One drawback of Sen’s work is that it is very high-level, and there is a gap in how these very useful and urgent ideas should be translated into policy on local scales. Measuring freedoms as opposed to economic data is a fundamental challenge to the implementation of Sen’s recommendations and will require much larger information bases for decision making which in turn creates data issues and complexity. This practical concern is not definitively dealt with in the book, however, it is unfair to expect that of Sen in what is intended to be a public interest publication. Furthermore, the best method of reorienting development towards freedoms and away from reliance on superficial markers such as Gross Domestic Product will look different in different contexts. That localization of Sen’s grand ideas is the job of the politicians and policymakers to ascertain and implement on the ground within each of their own contexts.

The book is now over two decades old yet has stood up well despite a rapidly changing world and political landscape. A revised version of the book building on the narrative and making reference to significant world events in the interim would be immensely valuable. Several notable events since its publication bring some of the central arguments to the fore. There has been a backslide in some instances of examples he raised to support arguments (e.g. the stagnation of Japan’s economy and the rise and rise of China as an economic superpower), while other new examples have arisen that support his arguments (e.g. the 2007 global financial crisis resulting from capitalist systems without sufficient business ethics). Other developments in the last two decades which I would be very eager to hear analysis on are the rise of nationalist conservatism after decades of globalist and liberal advancement, the differing responses of governments and economies to the COVID- 19 pandemic, conflict in the Middle East (and the political meddling by Western powers), the rise of extremist terrorism, and the more recent Russian invasion of Ukraine and the resultant stark delineation of Eastern and Western super-blocs.

Overall, this book is an incredibly well thought out and thoroughly researched thesis on a still-relevant, crucial perspective in the global move towards the expansion of human rights and freedoms. The world would undoubtedly benefit from more global leaders and politicians adopting Sen’s dogged focus on personal and societal freedoms rather than fixating on economic indicators that are ignorant of whether improvement to personal circumstances have actually been achieved. The book does not provide a roadmap for this change, but does provide a brilliantly argued defence of the need for it, and should be recommended reading for liberals everywhere.