Honestly speaking, there was a little bit of uneasiness on my part, when I finally decided upon the title of the present volume. First, the title of the present volume — Freedom for Choice — may seem to many to be similar to Amartya Sen's book — Development as Freedom. I pondered upon it quite a lot and argued with myself extensively. But at the end, I felt comfortable with the title — Freedom for Choice — for two reasons. One, the present volume is all about human development and there are various lenses through which it can be seen and addressed. These lenses are not mutually exclusive; rather they are close to each other. It is therefore very likely that two volumes addressing the issue of human development would be similar, not necessarily the same. Two, Amartya Sen has been, in every sense of the word, has been an outstanding teacher to me and he has influenced my thinking and work quite extensively. Over the years, I have had the privilege of collaborating with him very closely on different themes related to economics, philosophy and literature. Given our close personal and professional relationship as well as his influence on me, it is quite logical that the title for my book on human development would bear the mark of his influence. Second, I have also been debating the issue of means and end in the context of freedom and choice. But ultimately, I decided that it was a meaningless debate — freedom and choice are mutually reinforcing. Freedom is anchored in human rights and human development and freedom enable people to make choices. Similarly, enlargement of choices expands human freedom.
The present volume is all about human development — a simple, but powerful notion. It talks of enlarging human choices through enhancing human capabilities and creating opportunities. All the essays contained in the volume address various aspects of human development — concepts and measurements; enhancement of capabilities and creation of opportunities; and policies and institutions for human development. Two essays dealt with issues of how economic growth and education contribute to human development. Themes of human security and legal empowerment have also been addressed in the broader context of human development.
One particular essay has been devoted to Mahbubul Haq (1934- 98), the creator of the Human Development Reports. Mahbubul Haq's vision, ideas and commitment shaped the notion and evolution of the concept of human development. He has greatly influenced a generation of development thinkers and activists. Personally and professionally, I owe a lot to Mahbubul Haq, who has been a great teacher, friend and colleague.
Over the years, I have had the privilege of working closely with some of the finest minds of our time — Meghnad Desai, Gustav Ranis, Frances Stewart, Joseph Stiglitz, Paul Streeten — to name a few. My ideas, thoughts and professional work have been greatly influenced by all of them. I thank them all.
I earnestly hope that the essays contained in this volume would be interesting and useful to its readers.
