Journal of Theology for Southern Africa

110 (July 2001 )

89-96

DEVELOPMENT AS FREEDOM OR FREEDOM AS DEVELOPMENT?

A Christian dialogue with Amartya Sen's Development as Freedom
Cynthia Holder-Rich
ABSTRACT

This review essay explores the implications of Amartya Sen's ideas - expressed in his book Development as Freedom - for the church ;n development. The author is appreciative of Sen's perspective on development as freedom, and suggests that the Christian focus on the freedom that Christ has given us provides a way of working with Sen's ideas. After first outlining Sen's major ideas she then dialogues with them from the perspective of the church in Madagascar around three key themes: agency, advocacy and empowerment.

Introduction
.... economic unfreedom .... can make a person a helpless prey in the violation of other kinds of freedom... [and] can breed social unfreedom, just as social or political unfreedom can also foster economic unfreedom.1 With this statement, Amartya Sen unveils the premiere idea of his book Development as Freedom: That freedom (or the lack of it, 'unfreedom') is what makes the signal difference in the lives of people. Sen began to gain this insight when as a young boy he witnessed the death of a man, caused by the man's unfreedom as a Muslim to find adequate work in Muslim areas of Dhaka, Sen's hometown. The man therefore had to work in a Hindu area and was killed in a mob riot for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sen's dawning awareness, 1 Amartya Sen, Development as freedom, (New York: Anchor Books, 1999) 8. Rev. Cynthia Holder Rich teaches at the Lutheran Graduate Seminary and Amboniavaratra Theological College, Fianarantsoa, Madagascar, and is a PhD student in the School of Theology, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, P. Bag X 01, 3209 Scottsville, South Africa. <cmhrich @ simicro. mg>

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even as a child, that people who are not free economically cannot be free in other ways, is shown and explicated throughout this compelling work I was drawn to this book as a Christian scholar, as freedom is a crucial concept for Christian theology, and also from my work in a developing country, where 'unfreedom' is the norm for most people Sen describes himself as a-rehgious and steers clear in the mam of references to faith-based institutions and their possible impact or role in his writing, he and I share a belief, however, in the power and potential of freedom Sen opens his argument by defining freedom as involving "both the processes that allow freedom of actions and decisions, and the actual opportunities that people have" 2 Throughout the rest of the book, he expands upon this base He argues for a priority of 'human' or 'social' development that occurs concurrently with economic development, a model that has been tried in just a few areas of the developing world, stating The quality of life can be vastly raised, despite low incomes, through an adequate program of social services The fact that education and health care are also productive in raising economic growth adds to the argument for putting major emphasis on these social arrangements in poor economies without having to wait for 'getting neh' first3 Although this model does not fit with World Bank and IMF debt-repayment arrangements m many countries, Sen makes much use of examples where this model has worked and is working, most especially the Indian state of Kerala He refutes what he sees as a belief that " human development is really a luxury that only richer countries can afford",4 and emphasizes the need to make human development a standard by which economic growth is measured Sen departs from many development writers in his emphasis on 'capabilities' (which he defines as the "substantive freedoms to choose a life one has reason to value",5 which raises the issue of freedom of choice) and their growth, rather than 'commodities' and their growth, stating that the focus has to be "on the freedoms generated by commodities, rather than on the commodities seen on their own " 6 Put another way, Sen advocates "an alternative to focusing on means of good living to concentrate on the actual living that people manage to achieve (or going beyond that, on the freedom to achieve actual livings that one can have reason to value) " 7 Sen discusses the primacy of justice, the role of markets, and the importance of
2 3 4 5 6 7 Sen Sen Sen Sen Sen Sen Development as freedom Development as freedom Development as freedom Development as freedom Development as freedom Development as freedom 17 49 143 74 74 73

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democracy, naming the latter as the leading and most effective preventative for famine8 He states that democracy should be seen as "creating a set of opportunities",9 and cites the encouragement of public discussion and a free press as some of the most positive of democracy's gifts in the campaign to increase personal capabilities 10 The book spends much time on the position of women in societies, particularly as agents for social change Sen notes studies that show the particularly strong role educated women (including women who participate m low levels of education, such as basic literacy training) can play in lowering child mortality rates and fertility rates, increasing quality of child care arrangements, and promoting general social well-being for all members of society n He discusses the positive role empowered women can play in family-decision-making, to the good of all concerned, and affirms the power of women's economic participation in changing family life for the better, stating that
the result of women's participation is not merely to generate income for women, but also to provide the social benefits that come from women's enhanced status and independence [the point is] not merely to raise the 'deal' women get, but also through the greater agency of women - to bring about other major changes in society 12

In the final chapters, Sen discusses the role played by societal norms and values, and how difficult and long a process it can be to develop these, echoing issues he raised in the discussion on markets, he notes the "role of certain behavioural rules (such as basic business ethics) in developed capitalist economies But when these values are not yet developed, their general presence or absence can make a crucial difference "13 Sen notes the rising involvement of organized crime in developing countries, noting a "general connection between the limited emergence of business norms and the hold of organized crime in [developing] economies "14 He highlights the role social and personal responsibility play in the development of freedoms and the capabilities they produce, emphasizing that "the use of socially responsible reasoning and of ideas of justice relates closely to the centrahty of individual freedom"15 and, indeed, that "Responsibility requires freedom "16 The
8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Sen Development as freedom Sen Development as freedom Sen Development as freedom Sen Development as freedom Sen Development as freedom Sen Development a s freedom Sen Development as freedom Sen Development as freedom Sen Development as fi eedom 180 see also 169 155 156 158 180 191 201 201 112 268 261 284

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book closes by highlighting the need for a social commitment to freedom for all and for individuals within the society, and draws an outline as to what that kind of commitment would produce in terms of societal change. Sen's work raises many issues for the Christian church, the largest of which is a central question: What role does the church have in the promotion of freedom in society (or even in the church itself)? In one of Sen's few references to religion, he refers to it as a "traditional source of authority and legitimacy;"17 could, or should, the church become a source of freedom and development? My response will be significantly shaded by my work in Madagascar, a heavily-indebted developing country by IMF and World Bank standards, and a society struggling with surging increases in economic development for a few, massive corruption at all levels of society, and abject poverty for the majority. Within Madagascar, the Christian churches together comprise the single largest voluntary association, counting by most estimates nearly half the population as members, while enjoying precipitous growth. In many small villages and rural areas, the local church(es) is/are the only organization in town outside the family; outside the large cities, the pastor is almost always the most educated person in whatever region he or she serves. The church is therefore in a unique position to make a serious positive impact in the lives of the Malagasy people. Sen starts with 'development' ; I turn his equation around and start with 'freedom', as freedom is, I believe, the central issue of the Christian faith. Among the many ideas Sen elucidates in his work that have special meaning for Christians, I have chosen three to address here: 1) the church as an agent of freedom; 2) the church as an advocate of freedom; and 3) the church as an empowerer (as an agent of empowerment) of all people for freedom, especially those on the margins of society.

The church - agent of freedom

Sen talks much about 'agency' and 'agents', defining an agent as "someone who acts and brings about change."18 In Malagasy history, the agency of the church has at times been crucial. During the 19th and early 20th centuries missionaries built hospitals and schools and wrote and translated books, while often helping the colonial government retain power. Under the Second Republic (1972-91) church leaders stood strong and spoke out against a corrupt and violently oppressive government, often at great risk to themselves. Today, under the Third Republic (a 'democratic' government headed by the former military dictator), the church seems to have withdrawn from the public stage. Corruption in government is often mirrored by
17 Sen, Development as freedom, M 18 Sen, Development as freedom, 19

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corruption in the church. Passivity has always been a central aspect of Malagasy culture (so strong that polite conversation most often uses the grammatically passive voice); living under first a monarchy, then a colonial government, has done little to encourage the activist stance required by those who would be agents of change. Neither has the mission movement been (in the main) of much help, and the churches of Madagascar born in the (19th century) period of missionary fervour continue today, in large part, to look for financial and personnel support and guidance from traditional mission-sending churches abroad. Indeed, the Malagasy churches see themselves as recipients and not as donors able to give; and the nature of recipients is that they do not have the freedom to choose what they receive.19 But in the documents of the Christian church, we have resources for agency for action. Sen talks a lot about the necessary processes that lead to the development of communal norms, be they behavioural, ethical, or action. One of my students wrote his master's thesis about the need to train Malagasy Christians for leadership in their own church, noting that they had not received sufficient or helpful training for this work from their society, from the Christian missions, or from current church leadership. Indeed, Pastor Gabriel noted that church leaders today cannot be blamed for taking a controlling, authoritarian tack in church governance, as they are just following the model set forth by the royal family, the colonial government and the early missionaries, who were in charge of the church until the Second Republic began.20 In this context, how do we enliven the documents that are part of the Christian heritage, both biblical and theological, to help people become agents of freedom? The answer lies at least in part in education, both for pastors and for laypersons. While missionaries can help with this, because of some of the painful legacy of misguided mission work there is a need for strong and visionary Malagasy Christians to take the lead in educating (or perhaps re-educating) people about what the Bible actually says and what the rights and responsibilities of the Christian life actually are. Work that leads toward freedom - for people within the church, for families, for communities and for societies - is part of the call of Christians.

The church - advocate of freedom

"I wish I knew how it would feel to be free" goes the African-American spiritual. To be able to advocate freedom, Malagasy Christians have to learn what freedom looks and feels like. Sen quotes an often repeated question about prioritizing various kinds of freedoms, saying: "What should come first - removing poverty and misery, or
19 Indeed, the common title held by current missionaries on the island is raiamandreny, which means 'parents' 20 Jonah Gabriel, "Leadership moving toward autonomy for the Malagasy Lutheran church", Sekoly ambony loterana momba ny teolojia, These Matrise (Fianarantsoa, Madagascar, June 2000)

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guaranteeing political liberty and civil rights, for which poor people have little use anyway?"21 It is fair to say that most Malagasy people believe that neither the removal of their poverty and misery nor the guarantee of their political and civil liberties will ever become a reality, but for many there is at least a vision, through Western media, of what the former looks like. For the latter, however, there are currently no categories in the common Malagasy psyche. This does not exist and has never existed in Madagascar for the Malagasy people. So we come again to the need for education; but educating a people that they have freedom can be a risky endeavour. Madagascar's constitution was patterned after the French, and as such, leaders or citizens have had little ownership of or investment in it. Laws are rarely enforced in Madagascar, and the people know that to call in the police, no matter how dire the event, is to invite harassment, thievery and requests for bribes. Many innocent people are imprisoned in Madagascar because someone in some position of power and authority needed them either to be out of the way or to learn not to resist authority. This fact raises fear for Malagasy Christians, even those who understand the firm call to resist evil and stand for freedom. But Malagasy people imprisoned for resisting authority are in good company: From Jesus himself, to Paul, to leaders of every Christian movement that advocated freedom in the course of human history, in every instance many people have been imprisoned for speaking out. A revolution is needed in Biblical study and interpretation, in preaching and Christian education, and again, the leaders of the revolution need to be Malagasy and not expatriates. This education could take many forms: From simply defining what freedom is and how it works, to working to bring pressure to bear on authorities that have responsibility for alleviating the aforementioned poverty and misery,22 to information-sharing with those on the margins of society about their rights, to advocacy with the legal and law enforcement community about their responsibilities to ensure justice.23 The topics that could be covered in such an education campaign are legion. A few outstanding examples might be literacy training; advocating the use of family planning, in order to increase the quality of life for all in Madagascar, a country that currently has an average of 5.9 live births per woman; advocating changes in IMF and World Bank debtrestructuring arrangements (both organizations have offices in the capital, and so can be approached) in order to not emphasize deficit- and debt-reduction to the
21 Sen, Development as freedom, 147 22 Sen, Development as freedom, 151 "Governmental response to the acute suffering of people often depends on the pressure that is put on the government " 23 An example of this kind of education is a new curriculum being developed on Malagasy Law for Women by the Women's Committee of the Lutheran Graduate Seminary, and co-sponsored by two other seminaries, the state law school, local and appellate courts in the city The curriculum will offer training to both women in churches and villages and to judges, lawyers and police about women's rights in Madagascar

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point that social health and welfare are harmed;24 publishing information and encouraging public discussion about epidemics, health and sanitation procedures, and famine risk, in order to provide the early-warning system Sen applauds.25

The church - empowering people for freedom

"Democracy has to be seen as creating opportunities,"26 states Sen. The question for the church is: Does the church create opportunities? Does the church offer people a vision of freedom, and then help them achieve that which they see? If the church is to be the church of Jesus Christ, then she has the task of empowering people for freedom. "For freedom Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1), and we are adjured to stand firm in the freedom which we have been given - and also to extend that freedom to others. Freedom can be, and, I believe, must be, the basis of development, if the church is to engage in this work. Sen states that "the intensity of economic needs adds to... the urgency of political freedoms."27 The church must take a leading role, working to free people economically and politically from the oppression that binds them. If famines are, by nature, created by rulers who divide groups in a society from each other,28 the church is obligated both to work to alleviate hunger and to work against the tendency toward division; crucially, the church must not allow itself to see its place primarily as being with those unaffected by famines when they occur, no matter what place Christians hold in society (cf. Matthew 25:40). Sen touts the power of an active political opposition;29 if the government is corrupt and unjust, as it is in Madagascar, the church must be part of this opposition. The church must affirm the full participation of women, both within itself through freedom to participate fully (i.e. ordination and full enfranchisement for service in all levels of church life) and within the society. This includes, among other things, the issue of reproductive rights. Sen notes the "battering" that occurs to "young women who are reduced to being progeny-generating machines".30 Too often the church has taught that women are obligated to produce children and that family planning is a sin. Even in Madagascar, as child stunting and mortality rates mount, as the environment is under dire stress from the need to produce more food, and as famines occur every year in the south and southwest of the country, Madagascar's government
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 See Sen, Development as freedom, 140 Sen, Development as freedom, 158,180 Sen, Development as freedom, 155 Sen, Development as freedom, 148 Sen, Development as freedom, 167 Sen, Development as p eedom, 181 Sen, Development a s freedom, 226

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has a pro-birth policy, and the Protestant churches, while offering family planning in their health care systems, preach against it from their pulpits, their Sunday School classes and pre-marital counselling sessions. The church, in order to empower women, must find a way to change course on this issue. Sen cites the need for moving beyond sympathy to commitment to work for freedom;31 the church is already adept at this, requiring full commitment from members, and thus is in a good position for the work of empowerment. The book speaks of the injurious perception that injustice and inequality cannot be conquered, as "there is no alternative".32 In Malagasy culture, the phrase/oma gasy (the Malagasy way), offers the same perception. Thus, the church in Madagascar must offer to people the fomba Kristiana (Christian way) when Christ's way of empowerment and freedom differ from the fomba gasy. Finally, in his introduction, Sen notes the role of 'constructive impatience'33 in the work of development as freedom. The Christian church needs to move from passivity, apathy and powerlessness to constructive impatience, in order to take its rightful and faithful role as a movement that lifts up freedom, and through this gift, offers development.

31 Sen, Development as freedom 270-271 V. Sen, Development as freedom 287 V) Sen, Development as freedom 11

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