Treść książki
Przejdź do opcji czytnikaPrzejdź do nawigacjiPrzejdź do informacjiPrzejdź do stopki
Chapter1.Theconceptofdevelopment
23
diversities,variationsinsocialclimate,differencesinrelationalperspectives,and
distributionofincomewithinafamily.
Therefore,realincomelevelscannotsufficeasameasureofwell-being.Even
ifincomeisexpressedasabundleofcommodities,thelevelofconsumption,orthe
utilityachievedasaresultofconsumption,itdoesnotallowmakinginterpersonal
comparisons.Whatmattersisneithertheamountnorthecharacteristicsof
commoditiesconsumedbutwhatuseaconsumercanmakeofcommodities.
FollowingTodaroandSmith’s(2012)example,thereislittleuseofabookforan
illiterateperson.Measuringindividualwell-beingbythelevelofconsumption
indicatesthatpossessionorcommandovercommoditiesisthegoalinitself,rather
thanmeanstoachievethegoal.Forexample,inthecaseoffoodtheendishealthand
activitiesonecandowhenbeingwell-nourished.AmartyaSen(1985:28)warnsof
fallingintoatrapof‘commodityfetishism’2whenthegoodsareregardedasvaluable
inthemselves,notasameanstoaperson’swell-being.
Toescapecommodityfetishismortheutilitarianapproachandultimately
redefinedevelopmentitself,AmartyaSeninaseriesofworks(1979,1983,1985,
1999)introducedandexaminedconceptsof:functionings,achievementsand
capabilities.“Ingettinganideaofwell-beingoftheperson,weclearlyhavetomove
onto‘functionings,’towit,whatthepersonsucceedsindoingwiththecommodities
andcharacteristicsathisorhercommand.Forexample,wemusttakenotethata
disabledpersonmaynotbeabletodomanythingsanable-bodiedindividualcan,
withthesamebundleofcommodities”(Sen1985:10).Functioningsdependona
numberofindividualandsocialfeatures.Forexample,thebasicfunctioningofa
bicycle,i.e.transportation,wouldbeunavailableforadisabledperson.Functionings
mayvaryfromveryfundamental,suchasbeinghealthy,well-nourished,having
shelteruptocomplex,suchastakingpartincommunitylife,maintainingvalued
socialrelationship,earningrespectofothersandso.FollowingSen’srhetoric,
“afunctioningisanachievementofperson:whatheorshemanagestodoortobe.
[ł]Ithastobedistinguishedfromthecommoditieswhichareusedtoachieve
thosefunctionings”(Sen1985:10).
Apersonpossessingorhavingcommandoverbunchofcommodities(also
beingentitledtoreceivethemformastate),takingintoconsiderationindividual
characteristicsandsocialcircumstances,isabletodocertainactivitiesortobeat
aparticular‘state,’levelofhumandevelopment(health,educationandsoon).There
aremanyfunctioningswithinthereachofapersonandsomeofthemareconverted
intohisorherachievements.Socialclimateaswellasincome,educationandhealth
2
ThetermitselfwascoinedbyKarlMarx(1887),whointhefirstvolumeofCapitalwrote,
“Inthatworldtheproductionsofthehumanbrainappearasindependentbeingsendowedwithlife,
andenteringintorelationbothwithoneanotherandthehumanrace.Soitisintheworldof
commoditieswiththeproductsofmen‘shands.ThisIcalltheFetishismwhichattachesitselfto
theproductsoflabour,sosoonastheyareproducedascommodities,andwhichistherefore
inseparablefromtheproductionofcommodities”(p.47).
