Nafeesa Mushtaq

Development Sans Humans...: the Effects of Growth-centred Development on the Human Condition and Human Rights Nafeesa Mushtaq

The pursuit of economic growth supported by growth-centred development in the post-Second World War period has coincided for many with a worsening human condition, violation of human rights, marginalization, gaping inequalities, and rapid increase in rural income diversification measures. Deliberate shrinkage of the agriculture sector has left a huge number of small farmers in the South marginalized and displaced. International trade rules, trade liberalization, balance of payment deficits of states in need of foreign exchange facilitated the imposition of structural adjustment programmes which led to worsening the situation of many people. This dissertation discusses the effects of growth-centred development on the human condition and rights. It is argued that growth-centred development is deficient in terms of addressing the marginalization of poor people and hence an alternative model to development is needed, a model that is human-centred and addresses the structural causes of poverty through challenging power structures and inequalities and through facilitating people to take charge of their development.