This paper is a thought piece that accepts the thinking of Nobel laureate Amartya
Sen on the subject of development, and asks what that new conception of development
means for trade and sustainable development. That is, if we conceive of
development as Sen does, how can this conception help us better define sustainable
development? And what role is there for the trade regime and trade policy in the
service of sustainable development so defined (the paper starts from the basic premise
that sustainable development is the appropriate goal of trade and investment
policies)? Further, what would this new conception mean to those non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) who seek to harness international trade and investment
in the service of sustainable development?
Sen defines development as those freedoms that allow individuals to pursue that
which they have cause to value. So education and good health are forms of development,
since they free individuals to be able to pursue their life goals, whatever
they may be. Other types of freedom include democracy and free speech; the
opportunity to buy and sell what one wishes on fair terms; openness and honesty
in government and business dealings; law and order; and a social safety net. Sen
(1999:18) argues that “Greater freedom enhances the ability of people to help
themselves and also to influence the world.” The process of achieving those freedoms
is his conception of development.
How can this conception help us define sustainable development? The standard
definition of sustainable development comes from the Brundtland Commission:
“development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the ability
of future generations to meet their own needs.”1 But Brundtland never explicitly
defines development itself—only saying that whatever development is, it
should be sustainable.