Article

 

Ethics and international development: The development ethics paradigm (p.99-117)

by

Nikos Astroulakis, University of Crete, Greece

Keywords : Development ethics, Louis Joseph Lebret, Denis Goulet, International development, Political economy, Ethical theory

JEL classification : B00, B29, B49, B59

Abstract

The author argues that development ethics, and its subject matter which is international development, may be accurately interpreted within a political economy context in relation with the ethical theory’s reflections to international development. Development ethics came at the stage in the middle of 20th century by Louis Joseph Lebret and became widely known by his student Denis Goulet. In contrary to economic positivism, for development ethicists the issue of international development is viewed not as growth in a narrow sense of material expansion of wellbeing, but as the qualitative enrichment of human beings in all relevant aspects of human life.