A Moral Critique of Development: Ethics, Aesthetics and Responsibility

Abstract

The discourse and practice of human development has been subjected to fundamental restructuring and criticism in recent years. While restructuring has involved a continuing shift from state to market as the main actor of development, deconstruction of it has led to a critique of development as hegemony and domination. Jn this context the paper submits that neither a one-sided valorization of development in terms of being a slave to the market nor an essentialist abandonment of development as domination is helpful at the contemporary juncture. The urgent task now is to come to terms with the calling of responsibility which calls for a multi-dimensional approach understanding the simultaneous significance of self, social movements, state and market. Responsibility involves both capacity to look up to the face of the other and self-cultivation-both ethics and aesthetics. Jn this way the paper presents the outline of a moral critique of development.

“Work Is Life”: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the Experiences of Work–Life Balance Among Nongovernment Workers

“…However, some literature (Fechter, 2012) put forth that when NGO workers recognize how important their personal lives are, they will more likely see themselves as having agency in the development process that in turn allows them to be better agents of change. With this, Giri and Ufford (2003) pushed for the notion of the “care of the self” in which caring for other people’s needs must be complemented by caring for the self. They suggested that NGO work must be an avenue for self-transformation and growth for both NGO workers and the people they serve.…”

“…However, the wellness of NGO workers seems to take a back seat as resources and efforts of these organizations are directed toward the communities and sectors that they serve (Batti, 2014). This research ascribes to Giri and Ufford’s (2003) notion of the “care of the self” where caring for other people is deemed to be more effectively complemented by caring for the self. It specifically examines the experiences of balancing work and nonwork aspects of an NGO worker’s life as well as the barriers and enablers of achieving WLB.…”

Development on My Terms: Development Consultants and Knowledge for Development

“…Bell () argued that development aid facilitates the uncritical application of western mindsets and methodologies. A decade later, Curtis () questioned the lack of reflective behaviour amongst aid workers, whereas Giri and Quarles van Ufford () argued that the development of others requires, above all, development of the self. In the mid‐2000s, there were further contributions from anthropology.…”

Social Resilience of Rural Communities and Governance in Poverty Reduction

“…poor so that underdevelopment can be overcome [1]. A criticism of the development theory proclaimed by capitalist groups must of course be able to adapt to the local local culture, and must have a strong moral foundation embedded in development policies [11] if you want the success of a goal to deliver the poor from underdevelopment and economic, social, political, and cultural inequality in one country. Even the performance of economic development in several countries in Asia and Latin America, gender disparities and poverty are judged to be caused by development policies which are inversely proportional to the rate of capital investment from international business networks.…”