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Paper short abstract:

This study traces discourse in the development on human well-being from the Enlightenment era to the contemporary neoclassical period. It argues that during this period, human well-being has sometimes been at the core, while sometimes being on the margins of the discourse.

Paper long abstract:

This study traces discourse in the development on human well-being from the Enlightenment era to the contemporary neoclassical period. It argues that during this period, human well-being has sometimes been at the core, while sometimes being on the margins of the discourse. Human development became a central development concept with the emergence of the capability approach discourse of Amartya Sen and Mehbub ul Haq. However, through its carefully crafted market policies, the contemporary neoclassical regime glorifies the concept of human development in a ‘cosmetic’ way, which has prioritised market forces over human well-being. Thus, real-equitable-sustainable human development discourse, with human well-being at its core, is missing in the actions and practices, which otherwise have been historically idealised by Aristotle, Smith, Mill, and Marx and later by Sen and Haq and their followers.