Human Agency and Development

This book presents a value-laden understanding of development that acknowledges that development is human centered. The book re-emphasizes that human development which has become a powerful element of current development discourse is not just a social, economic and technological challenge; it is also an institutional and political challenge. The emphasis therefore is to analyze the notion of human development with the intention of improving it by placing more emphasis on the aspect of politics and human agency (the ability to act and be an agent of one¿s life). Politics here is understood beyond its usual institutional focus or identification with government, politicians and parliaments to include a much wider and much more important and dynamic range of activities found in all human groups such as institutions and societies.