Ethical issues in development

This chapter presents two groups of ethical issues in development. The first are ‘intrinsic’, based on ideas about the nature of development or the nature of worthwhile development. Thus anti-development (post-development) theory claims that development is inherently damaging; alternatively, the development ethics founded by Denis Goulet identifies values that distinguish worthwhile development from undesirable maldevelopment. I identify seven such values: worthwhile development must promote well-being, equity, empowerment, human rights, cultural freedom, environmental sustainability, and integrity against corruption. The second group of ‘extrinsic’ issues includes dilemmas that face development practitioners and policymakers; value linkages (e.g., the difficulty of enhancing well-being without empowering people); and issues of who is responsible for promoting worthwhile development