Human development can be simply defined as a process of enlarging choices. Every day human beings make a series of choices – some economic, some social, some political, some cultural. If people are the proper focus of development efforts, then these efforts should be geared to enhancing the range of choices in all areas of human endeavour for every human being. Human development is both a process and an outcome. It is concerned with the process through which choices are enlarged, but it also focuses on the outcomes of enhanced choices.
Human development thus defined represents a simple notion, but one with far-reaching implications. First, human choices are enlarged when people acquire more capabilities and enjoy more opportunities to use those capabilities. Human development seeks not only to increase both capabilities and opportunities but also to ensure an appropriate balance between them in order to avoid the frustration that a mismatch between the two can create. Second, as already implied, economic growth needs to be seen as a means, albeit an important one, and not the ultimate goal, of development. Income makes an important contribution to human well-being, broadly conceived, if its benefits are translated into more fulfilled human lives, but the growth of income is not an end in itself. Third, the human development concept, by concentrating on choices, implies that people must influence the processes that shape their lives. They must participate in various decisionmaking processes, the implementation of those decisions, and their monitoring and adjustment to improve outcomes where necessary.
In the ultimate analysis, human development is development of the people, development for the people, and development by the people. Development of the people involves building human capabilities through the development of human resources. Development for the people implies that the benefits of growth must be translated into the lives of people, and development by the people emphasizes that people must be able to participate actively in influencing the processes that shape their lives.
