By the winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics an essential and paradigm-altering framework for understanding economic development—for both rich and poor—in the twenty-first century. Freedom Sen argues is both the end and most efficient means of sustaining economic life and the key to securing the general welfare of the world's entire population. Releasing the idea of individual freedom from association with any particular historical intellectual political or religious tradition Sen clearly demonstrates its current applicability and possibilities. In the new global economy where despite unprecedented increases in overall opulence the contemporary world denies elementary freedoms to vast numbers—perhaps even the majority of people—he concludes it is still possible to practically and optimistically regain a sense of social accountability. Development as Freedom is essential reading.
