Previous Year Question
With reference to ‘Human Development Index’, which of the following statements is/are correct?
The UNDP published its first Human Development Report in 1990, which had a Human Development Index.
The first team that developed the Human Development Index was led by Mahbub-ul-Haq and S. Priesner.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Only 2
Neither 1 nor 2
Both 1 and 2
Only 1
Correct Answer: D
Detailed Solution
Statement 1 is correct. The first Human Development Report was published in 1990, and the Human Development Index (HDI) was introduced in this report. Its purpose was to assess development in terms of people's lives and capabilities rather than relying only on national income or GDP.
The HDI essentially measures achievements in three major dimensions of human development—a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living.
Statement 2 is incorrect. The intellectual effort behind the Human Development approach and the HDI was led by Mahbub ul Haq, with important contributions from scholars including Amartya Sen. It is not correct to describe the original HDI team as being led by Mahbub ul Haq and S. Priesner.
Mahbub ul Haq played a central role in shifting the assessment of development away from income alone towards people and their choices. Amartya Sen's capability approach provided an important intellectual foundation for this concept.