Freedom, Reason, and More: Feminist Economics and Human Development
Author(s)
Nelson, Julie A.
Abstract
Researchers sensitive to issues of gender have made substantial contributions to the literature on economic and cultural development. Discussion of how feminist analysis might affect the definition of different development goals, in a broader philosophical sense, has, however, been less advanced. This essay seeks to further this discussion, taking as its starting point the economist and philosopher Amartya Sen’s influential insights about ‘development as freedom’ and the role of reason. It argues that these important insights need to be complemented by (not supplanted by) additional insights into affiliation and emotion. People deeply desire connection, continuity, and a sense of place, as well as freedom, and use their hearts as well as their minds to guide their actions. Cultural neglect of the human need for affiliation and capacity for emotion may help explain why economic outcomes continue to be characterized by extreme global disparity.
