Two views of assistance. (December 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Maffettone, Pietro; Muldoon, Ryan
• Is Part Of: Philosophy & social criticism. Volume 43:Number 10(2017)
• Page Start: 998
• Page End: 1021
• Publication Date: 2017-12
• Subjects: agent-oriented development -- effective altruism -- global justice -- humanitarian aid -- international assistance; Philosophy -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; 300.1
• DOI: 10.1177/0191453717692646
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-4537

Abstract

The article makes two substantive contributions to the existing literature on the ethics of international assistance and global justice. First, it builds what we take to be a widely held set of propositions about international assistance into a consistent view (i.e. the relief view), and articulates a strong case against its desirability. Second, it sketches a more attractive alternative (i.e. the development view). To do so the article uses Sen's idea of agent-oriented development as a starting point while at the same time providing a generalization of Sen's account and a justificatory framework that does not rely on the capability approach.