Institute of Social Studies
D
E V E L O P M E N T
ISSues
Volume 1, number 1, December 1999
The EGAL project
Amartya Sen awarded Nobel Prize for Economics A comment from development studies
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Valedictory lecture Sandro Sideri
Des Gasper In 1998 Professor Amartya Sen, an Honorary Fellow of the ISS and a founder of the UNU World Institute for Development Economics Research, was awar-
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Global Traders and Local Producers
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Fellow of the Institute - after the late Jan Tinbergen - to be awarded the prize.
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Farewell Address Sipko de Boer
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Africa Day Scholas
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ded the Nobel Prize for Economics. Professor Sen is the second Honorary
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Francisco Uribe Echevarría
Like many of us I have been impres-
policy and at the same time less
The entitlements approach
major, related areas:
sed, intrigued and influenced by Sen’s
narrowly Euro-American in its
and the capabilities approach
• the analysis of famine, and more
work. The following observations,
assumptions and concerns, and -
Sen (b. 1933) was already an interna-
generally of hunger and poverty,
invited by the International Develop-
whether seen as a separate field for
tionally reputed economist twenty-five
including through his ‘entitlements
ment Ethics Association after Sen
discussion or not - a development
years ago, known for his work on, for
approach’; and the formulation and
was awarded the Nobel Prize for
ethics that can help guide develop-
example, the cost-benefit analysis of
application of a resulting framework
Economics, draw on a number of
ment policy and practice. I will try
public investments, growth theory,
papers in which I commented on the
here to outline those of his contribu-
and the mathematical investigation of
nature and role of some of his contri-
tions which are of special interest to
aggregate preference-fulfilment within
of welfare economics, i.e. the
butions. These include inputs towards
us in development studies, and then
a society. What makes him stand out
concepts and theories in econo-
an enriched and more ethically aware
to suggest what indeed are the
from the other economists of his
mics about when we can say that
economics, a moral philosophy that is
special features of Sen’s intellectual
generation is, however, his work over
people and societies are better off:
more rigorous and more relevant to
project.
the past quarter of a century in two
especially his ‘capability approach’
for policy responses; • the critique and then reconstruction
continued on page 8
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Interview Roodal Moonilal
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Transition to Underdevelopment? Max Spoor
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Book review Shanti George
© Jager & Krijger
CONTENTS
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© fotoburo Thuring
Inside this issue:
This was the challenging title of one of the papers presented to the international policy workshop ‘Beyond Transition: Ten Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall’, hosted by the Institute of Social Studies between 11 and 15 October 1999. The Institute organized the workshop in close cooperation with
The Institute of Social Studies
the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in particular its Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth
(ISS) is an international centre
of Independent States (RBEC).
of social sciences education For a week long, a total of 22
that have taken place, and the poli-
ResReps themselves. This promoted
and Country Policies at the Dutch
Resident Representatives of the
cies that drove this process, while
a unique dialogue between UNDP
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Anton
UNDP and Resident UN Coordinators
contributing to a new agenda for
delegates, with their ‘hands-on’
Kruiderink, Director of RBEC, and
from CEE and CIS countries (inclu-
‘transition and development’ in the
experience in the field, academic
Dr Max Spoor, the conference
ment studies to mid-career
ding Poland, Ukraine, Russia, the
second decade after the fall of the
experts and representatives of other
organizer for the ISS.
professionals at PhD, Master’s
Baltic States, the ‘Stan’ countries of
Berlin Wall in 1989.
national and international organiza-
and research. It provides top quality education in develop-
former Soviet Central Asia and the and Diploma levels. ISS degrees are recognized internationally.
tions (such as the Dutch Ministries of
The main focus of the conference
countries of the Caucasus) and from
At the UNDP/RBEC/ISS conference
Foreign Affairs and of the Environ-
was the human costs of the transition
the Balkan region gathered at the ISS.
the UNDP ResReps were the key par-
ment, the World Bank and the
in the past decade in Central and
The conference looked back on a
ticipants, with papers presented by
European Commission). ‘Beyond
Eastern Europe and the former
decade of transition in Central and
speakers from the ISS and from
Transition’ was opened by Prof. Hans
Soviet Union.
Eastern Europe and the former Soviet
elsewhere (the USA, Finland, UK,
Opschoor, Rector of the ISS, Hans
Union, analyzing the transformations
France and Russia), and by several
Sondaal, Director General of Regional
continued on page 9
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