Development ethics

Key themes

Development ethics typically looks at development theories and practice and their relationships with:

• Social justice
• Human rights
• Basic needs

A major focus of the literature is on the "ethics of the means". This involves asking not only how to realize the goals of development but also what are ethical limits in their pursuit.

Denis Goulet, one of the founding fathers of the discipline, argued in The Cruel Choice (1971) that "Development ethics is useless unless it can be translated into public action. By public action is meant action taken by public authority, as well as actions taken by private agents by having important consequences for the life of the public community. The central question is: How can moral guidelines influence decisions of those who hold power?"