Module 5 Human Flourishing as Reflected in Progress and Development

Most often, development means growth and greater consumption. The more the population
consumes, the wealthier it is. The country's gross national product (GNP) measures its growth. This
measure, however, does not necessarily translate to the well-being of the people. Hence, the metrics
improved to take into account society's quality of life.

Jason Hickel, on the other hand, challenges the world to rethink and reflect on a different
paradigm he called "de-development". The new scheme pushes for the rich countries to "catch down"
rather than forcing the poor countries "catching up" to them. He urged us to consume what is
necessary for humans to live a sustainable life.

In this module, we will take cognizance of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development
Goals 2030 as it serves as the blueprint of our current and future actions. Then, we delve into the
concept of de-development by Jason Hickel. After which, we look at the Inclusive Development Index
(IDI) introduced during the 2017 World Economic Forum.

UN SDGs

Growth and development measure progress. Development is inevitable. Human has put
pressure on the Earth resources due to it. Moreover, a cascade of issues and concerns came about.
Responding to these compelling concerns and issues, members of the United Nations crafted the 17
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015 that articulated "a universal call to action to end
poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030."
Additionally, the SDGs is not just a checklist. There are indicators of success.

Village of the Water Mills

In the advent of progress and development, people struggle to live a good life and improve well-
being (flourish). Humanity has to make a collective choice and be reflective of their actions, that is, if
they intend to live a good life.

Akiro Kurosawa’s Dreams “Village of the Watermills”. It is one of the series of his dreams turned into
a film. It serves as a wake-up call to humanity against the worship of technology and the march of
progress. The Village of the Watermills is just a dream, yet, the truth remains that the basic needs of
human beings to live well are clean air and water, plants to sustain life, peaceful and sound sleep at
night, clean environment, identity, and belongingness.

Hickel’s paradigm of de-development and the IDI

For an anthropologist, Jason Hickel, the SDGs primary strategy of eradicating poverty is still
about growth. He believes that this "business as usual" strategy no longer works. The world has grown
so much, yet poverty escalates. Hence, for him, what the world needs is an alternative paradigm. He
puts forward his alternative and refers to it as "de-development".
 Further, many countries agree that growth - measured by the country's gross national product
and gross domestic product - is not a sufficient measure for people to rate the economic progress of a
nation. To address this, The World Economic Forum System Initiative on Shaping the Future of
Economic Progress introduced a new policy framework and performance metric in 2017. It is known as
the Inclusive Development Index (IDI).

IDI focuses not only on growth but considers the rising issues of inequality and economic
insecurity. It recognizes the fact that citizens' measure of economic progress using their household's
standard of living. IDI includes performance indicators in growth and development, inclusion,
intergenerational equity, and sustainability. Learn on the IDI and share your thoughts about it.

Inclusive Development Index - a new way to measure economic growth.

Key Points:

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim to address the problem of poverty worldwide
that persists despite the so-called progress and development.

Hickel proposed that instead of pushing the developing countries to catch up, developed countries
should “catch down” on resource consumption so that the Earth can still sustain human needs.

Growth, being the measure of a country's progress does not necessarily transform to happiness and
contentment of individuals in a country. The Inclusive Development Index provides realistic metrics
than the gross national product alone.

Endeavor to integrate the concept of sustainability in all actions and decisions as we work towards a
good life.