Development Ethics

Development ethics examines the ethical issues concerning the pursuit of socioeconomic development. The emergence of this as a subdiscipline over the past few decades sprung from earlier international debates about development in the second half of the twentieth century, particularly in relation to alleviating world poverty. Different models of development presuppose different concepts of well‐being and of justice which inform them. A development ethic can also be used to critique, if it is seen as unsatisfactory, what is done in the “name” of development by others. One significant disagreement is between those who focus on economic growth and those who argue for more expansive conceptions of well‐being and justice and put stress on factors such as environmental constraints on development. Development ethics is located within the wider framework of global ethics, which informs both the responsibilities of individuals as global citizens and the international responsibilities of nation‐states and business corporations to promote and not impede development.