Philosophy 338 | Summer 2009 Brandon Morgan-Olsen | 8.

14

Amartya Sen, The Importance of Democracy

Introduction
Prima facie priority of economic needs over political rights
Economic needs and Political Freedoms
Vienna conference as evidence of prevalence of above view
The Preeminence of Political Freedoms and Democracy
Basic nature of this simple dichotomy
Interconnections between political freedoms and fulfilling economic
needs (both instrumental and constructive)
Intensity of economic needs adds to the urgency of economic
freedoms:
(1) direct importance
(2) instrumental role
(3) constructive role
Arguments Against Political Freedoms and Civil Rights
3 lines of argument:
Lee Thesis: political freedoms hamper economic growth and
development
If poor people are given a choice between political freedoms and
fulfillment of economic needs, they will choose the latter
Asian Values objection to universal human rights
Democracy and Economic Growth
Very little general evidence that authoritarianism leads to economic
growth
Generally recognized causal factors in economic growth as not
inconsistent with democracy
Need for capability model of development, rather than GNP, etc.
Political rights allow citizens to direct attention towards general
needs
Do Poor People Care About Democracy and Civil Rights?
Insufficient evidence for the claim that poor people dont care;
paradoxical nature of trying to gather that evidence
Evidence against the claim (India under Indira Gandhi,
South Korea, Thailand, etc.)
Undermining of Lee Thesis undermines thesis that poor people should
favor economic growth over political rights
Instrumental Importance of Political Freedom
Fundamental importance of political freedom (as part of basic
capabilities)
Formation of values requires openness of communication/arguments
Incentive of rulers to listen in a democracy
Philosophy 338 | Summer 2009 Brandon Morgan-Olsen | 8.14

Sens Contribution: no substantial famine has ever occurred in any

independent country with a democratic form of government and a
relatively free press (152)
Constructive Role of Political Freedom
Conceptualization/comprehension of economic needs may require
the existence of political/civil rights
Understanding economic needs requires discussion and exchange
Again, crucial role of discussion in the formation of values
Cannot take preferences as given (independent of discussion)
Underestimation of reach/effectiveness of open dialogues
Literacy and fertility in Kerala/Tamil Nadu
Working of Democracy
Danger of overselling effectiveness of aspects of democracy
Democracy not as historically able to deal with certain problems (e.g.,
undernutrition rather than famine); inadequacy of practice
Opportunities and exercise of freedoms vs. apathy and alienation
The Practice of Democracy and the Role of Opposition
Ramos quote
Importance of opposition to positive change (even in nondemocracies)
Neglected issues (illiteracy, undernourishment, gender inequality)
Successes of heterogeneous India as a democracy
A Concluding Remark
Recapping the three virtue of democracy (intrinsic/direct importance,
instrumental contributions, constructive role)
Importance of democratic governance when things go wrong
The achievement of social justice depends not only on institutional
forms (including democratic rules and regulations), but also on
effective practice (159).