Maarg Manthan · Topic 18.4

Human Development – Concept and Pillars

Geography › Settlements, Human Development and Planning · Topic 18.4

Human development is the process of enlarging people's choices and their capabilities, so that they can live long and healthy lives, acquire knowledge and have the resources for a decent standard of living. The idea was developed by Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen and first presented in the UNDP's Human Development Report of 1990. Its four pillars are equity, sustainability, productivity and empowerment.

5 min read · UPSC Prelims · Geography · Settlements, Human Development and Planning

At a Glance

Idea Enlarging people’s choices and capabilities
Founders Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen
First report UNDP, 1990
Pillars Equity, sustainability, productivity, empowerment
Core aims Health, knowledge, decent living standard
Exam link UPSC Prelims, Geography: Settlements, Human Development and Planning

Where Does It Fit?

This is the fourth topic of the macro on settlements, human development and planning. The previous topics described where people live, and this one asks how well they live. The next topic covers how human development is measured and where India stands. Previous topic: Urban Settlements in India. Next topic: Measuring Human Development and India Position.

What Is Human Development, and How Is It Different From Growth?

In short: growth is about how much a country produces, and human development is about what people can do and be with it.

The early idea of development was economic growth, measured by gross national product or per capita income. By the 1980s it was clear that income did not tell the whole story: countries with the same income could have very different levels of health, education and freedom. The Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq, working with Amartya Sen of India, developed the concept of human development in which the real wealth of a nation is its people. The UNDP’s first Human Development Report in 1990 defined it as a process of enlarging people’s choices. The three most important choices are to lead a long and healthy life, to acquire knowledge, and to have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living. Additional choices are political freedom, human rights and personal self-respect.

Aspect	Economic growth	Human development
Meaning	Increase in output or income	Expansion of people’s capabilities and choices
Measure	GDP, GNP, per capita income	Health, education and income together, with inequality and sustainability
Nature	Quantitative	Qualitative as well as quantitative
Focus	Production and wealth as ends	People as the end; income is a means
Link	Does not guarantee better lives	Growth is necessary but not sufficient

What Are the Four Pillars of Human Development?

Equity: making equal access to opportunities available to everybody, irrespective of gender, race, income and caste in India. The most important is the equal access of women, and of the groups that have been excluded, to education, health and jobs.
Sustainability: continuity in the availability of opportunities, so that the present generation does not take away the choices of future generations. Each generation must have the same opportunities, and the misuse of environmental, financial and human resources will reduce those of the future, as in Environment and Human Interrelationship.
Productivity: human labour productivity must be constantly enriched by building capabilities in health, education and skills. People are the real wealth of nations, and so efforts to increase knowledge or provide better health facilities ultimately improve work efficiency.
Empowerment: having the power to make choices, which comes from increasing freedom and capability. Good governance and people-oriented policies are needed to empower people, and the empowerment of socially and economically disadvantaged groups is particularly important.

What Are the Approaches to Human Development?

Approach	Idea	Limit
Income approach	Human development is linked to income; the level of income reflects the level of freedom a person enjoys	Income is a means, not an end
Welfare approach	People are beneficiaries or targets of all development activities; the government is responsible for welfare in health, education, amenities	Treats people as passive recipients and increases state costs
Basic needs approach	Proposed by the International Labour Organisation; identifies six basic needs: health, education, food, water supply, sanitation and housing	Neglects choice and the human dimension of freedom
Capability approach	Associated with Amartya Sen; building human capabilities in the areas of health, education and access to resources is the key to increasing human development	Capabilities are harder to measure than income

Later work widened the scope. The Multidimensional Poverty Index of UNDP and the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative measures deprivation in health, education and living standards, and India’s NITI Aayog reported that about 24.8 crore people moved out of multidimensional poverty between 2013–14 and 2022–23. UNDP has also introduced indices adjusted for inequality and gender, and a planetary pressures-adjusted index that takes into account carbon emissions and material footprint, which links human development with the Sustainable Development Goals of 2030. As an analytical point, the key lesson of the concept is that development is judged by outcomes in people’s lives, and so a fast-growing economy with weak health, education or women’s participation has a development gap, which is the situation in India and the reason why social-sector spending and state capacity are central to the ‘Viksit Bharat’ goal, as in Measuring Human Development and India Position.

Why Is This Topic Important?

Concept Pillars and thinkers asked
Link SDGs and sustainability
Policy Social sector and equity

What Came Next?

The next topic explains how human development is measured and where India stands. Next topic: Measuring Human Development and India Position.

Key People and Terms

Capability Real freedom to do and be
Equity Equal access to opportunity
Empowerment Power to make choices
Sustainability Opportunities for future generations
Basic needs approach ILO approach to six needs
MPI Multidimensional Poverty Index

Exam Corner

Points to Remember

Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen developed the concept.
First Human Development Report: 1990.
Pillars: equity, sustainability, productivity, empowerment.
Capability approach is Sen’s.
Growth is necessary but not sufficient.

Do Not Confuse With

Growth and development Output versus capabilities
Welfare and capability approaches Recipients versus agents
Equity and equality Fair access versus identical outcomes

Memory Hook

Long life, learning, decent living: fair to all, lasting, productive, and with a voice.

Mains Angle

Questions ask about the concept and the pillars. These points add depth.

Shift From income to capabilities
Pillars Equity to empowerment
Link SDGs

A Question You May Face

An original practice question, not a past paper question.

“Distinguish between economic growth and human development and explain the four pillars of human development.”

How to Answer

Concept Choices and capabilities.
Contrast Growth versus development.
Pillars Four.
Approaches Income to capability.

GS Relevance

Prelims: definition, thinkers, pillars, approaches, growth versus development. GS Paper 1: human development; GS Paper 2 and 3: social sector, inequality and sustainability.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is human development?

Human development is the process of enlarging people's choices and capabilities, so that they can live long and healthy lives, acquire knowledge and have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living. It was proposed by Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen and introduced in the first UNDP Human Development Report in 1990.

What are the four pillars of human development?

The four pillars of human development are equity, which means equal access to opportunities; sustainability, which means preserving opportunities for future generations; productivity, which means building the capabilities of people for work; and empowerment, which means the power to make choices and take part in decisions.

What is the difference between economic growth and human development?

Economic growth is an increase in a country's output or income, and is a quantitative measure. Human development is wider and qualitative, and focuses on expanding the capabilities and choices of people in health, education and living standards. Growth is necessary for human development but does not guarantee it.

What is the capability approach to human development?

The capability approach, associated with Amartya Sen, holds that the real measure of development is what people are actually able to do and be. Building human capabilities in health, education and access to resources is therefore the key to increasing human development, and income is only a means.

What is the basic needs approach?

The basic needs approach, proposed by the International Labour Organisation, argues that development should ensure that all people have six basic needs: health, education, food, water supply, sanitation and housing. It focuses on the provision of goods and services, but has been criticised for neglecting human choice.

PYQ Practice — Statement Analysis

1 The concept of human development was developed by Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen.

True

The first report was in 1990.

2 Equity as a pillar of human development means equal access to opportunities.