What could five organisations, each working on varied issues of water and sanitation, rural livelihoods, financial literacy, food insecurity, and active citizenship across diverse geographies, have in common? Despite working in vastly different contexts, civil society action in India has been anchored in certain shared concepts and philosophies, such as the idea of development as freedom. Among them are the works of Amartya Sen, who holds an enduring relevance for contemporary development challenges. With ideas spanning economics and philosophy, Sen’s most compelling arguments sit at the intersection of both—as an examination of human behaviour and as a set of moral arguments for how societies must function.

Sen paints a picture of the world as it should be, grounded in human dignity and agency. A professor and writer, his work has reached beyond academia to resonate with policymakers and practitioners, bridging theory and grassroots action.

In this article, members of organisations in Odisha, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala reflect on how Amartya Sen’s ideas have informed their work. While they don’t represent the entire sector, these reflections—with four of his concepts at their core—highlight how Sen’s thinking continues to guide people across Indian civil society.

Development as Freedom

Sen argues that development should be seen not through the narrow lens of economic growth, but “as a process of expanding the real freedoms that people enjoy”. These freedoms include civil and political rights, social justice, economic opportunities to step out of poverty, and an end to deprivation.

Gram Vikas’s decades of work on community-managed water and sanitation services in Odisha employs Sen’s strategy and applies it in practice.

Community-Managed Water and Sanitation in Odisha (Jayapadma R V and Liby T Johnson)

Back in the 1980s, Gram Vikas was working in several villages in Odisha, including Samiapalli and Tamana in the Ganjam district, where families did not have access to clean drinking water. As a result, people kept falling sick. Children missed school, parents lost workdays, and whatever little money they had was spent on treatment.

Read the full article about development as freedom by Suvojit Chattopadhyay and Liby T. Johnson at India Development Review.