Denis Goulet
Encyclopedia
Denis Goulet was a human development theorist and a founder of work on development ethics as an independent field of study. Goulet's definition of Development Ethics
is that it is a field that examines the ethical and value questions related to development theory, planning, and practice.
Goulet was a professor emeritus in the Department of Economics and Policy Studies at University of Notre Dame
. He had also served as a faculty fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
He took his undergraduate and masters degrees in Philosophy from St. Paul’s College, he took a master’s degree in Social Planning from IRFED in Paris; and took his PhD in Political Science from the University of São Paulo
, Brazil.
, Simone Weil
, Louis-Joseph Lebret
and the “worker priests” of the last century and from the hunger and thirst for justice of the gospel of Matthew.
, notes Goulet's contribution to the broadening of the notion of development to include economic and social objectives and the values that societies strive for. In this conext he quotes Goulet's (1971) distinguishing of three basic components or core values of development:
This analysis can be viewed as a precursor to the work of Amartya Sen
and the Human Development Index
.
Goulet, D (2006) Development Ethics at Work Explorations - 1960-2002, ISBN 978-0-415-49404-5 ISBN 978-0-415-77021-7 (Electronic) 978-0-203-08664-3 Routledge, UK
Development ethics
Development Ethics is a field of enquiry that reflects on both the ends and the means of development. It typically takes a normative stance asking and answering questions about the nature of ethically desirable development, what ethics means for achieving development, and discusses various ethical...
is that it is a field that examines the ethical and value questions related to development theory, planning, and practice.
Goulet was a professor emeritus in the Department of Economics and Policy Studies at University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
. He had also served as a faculty fellow at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies and at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies.
He took his undergraduate and masters degrees in Philosophy from St. Paul’s College, he took a master’s degree in Social Planning from IRFED in Paris; and took his PhD in Political Science from the University of São Paulo
University of São Paulo
Universidade de São Paulo is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian university and one of the country's most prestigious...
, Brazil.
Influences
Goulet's work drew its major inspiration from the writings and examples of a group French religious intellectuals including Charles de FoucauldCharles de Foucauld
Charles Eugène de Foucauld was a French Catholic religious and priest living among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for protection of the Tuareg and is considered by the Catholic Church to be a martyr...
, Simone Weil
Simone Weil
Simone Weil , was a French philosopher, Christian mystic, and social activist.-Biography:Weil was born in Paris to Alsatian agnostic Jewish parents who fled the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine to Germany. She grew up in comfortable circumstances, and her father was a doctor. Her only sibling was...
, Louis-Joseph Lebret
Louis-Joseph Lebret
Louis-Joseph Lebret was a French Dominican social scientist and philosopher who sought to "put the economy at the service of man" and advanced the notion of the "human economy". He was also responsible for introducing concern for development to the Catholic Church...
and the “worker priests” of the last century and from the hunger and thirst for justice of the gospel of Matthew.
Components of Development
ThirlwallAnthony Thirlwall
Tony Thirlwall is Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Kent. He has made major contributions to regional economics; the analysis of unemployment and inflation; balance of payments theory, and to growth and development economics with particular reference to developing countries...
, notes Goulet's contribution to the broadening of the notion of development to include economic and social objectives and the values that societies strive for. In this conext he quotes Goulet's (1971) distinguishing of three basic components or core values of development:
- life-sustenance
- self-esteem
- freedom.
This analysis can be viewed as a precursor to the work of Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen
Amartya Sen, CH is an Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics and social choice theory, and for his interest in the problems of society's poorest members...
and the Human Development Index
Human Development Index
The Human Development Index is a composite statistic used to rank countries by level of "human development" and separate "very high human development", "high human development", "medium human development", and "low human development" countries...
.
Key works
Goulet, D. (1971) The Cruel Choice: A New Concept in the Theory of Development, New York, AthenaeumGoulet, D (2006) Development Ethics at Work Explorations - 1960-2002, ISBN 978-0-415-49404-5 ISBN 978-0-415-77021-7 (Electronic) 978-0-203-08664-3 Routledge, UK