Mahbub ul Haq was a renowned Pakistani economist who, in 1990, played a pivotal role in fundamentally shifting the focus of development economics. He argued that development should not be solely measured by economic growth or national income.
He challenged the traditional view that equated development primarily with Gross National Product (GNP) or Gross Domestic Product (GDP), advocating for a broader, people-centric approach. This aligns with statement 1 being true.
Haq collaborated extensively with Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, whose capabilities approach heavily influenced the concept of human development. Together, they championed the idea that policies should prioritize the expansion of human choices and capabilities rather than just economic aggregates.
Their collaboration led to the conceptualization and promotion of the Human Development Index (HDI) and the broader framework of Human Development Reports (HDRs) as alternatives to purely economic indicators. This supports statement 2 being true.
Mahbub ul Haq was instrumental in bringing together a group of distinguished development economists and experts to produce the first Human Development Report in 1990, under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This initiative transformed how global development progress is measured and understood. This confirms statement 3 as true.
The core philosophy behind the HDRs, spearheaded by Haq, was that development is about enlarging people's choices, not just increasing national income. These choices include leading a long and healthy life, acquiring knowledge, and having access to resources needed for a decent standard of living.
Therefore, the statement that Mahbub ul Haq emphasized that development should be solely measured by economic growth and per capita income is false. His entire contribution was precisely to move away from such a narrow economic definition towards a more holistic, human-centered view of development.
