A Common Good Approach to Development

<p class=ql-align-justify>This edited collection proposes a common good approach to development theory and practice. Rather than focusing on the outcomes or conditions of development the contributors concentrate on the quality of development processes suggesting that a common good dynamic is key in order to trigger development. </p><p class=ql-align-justify><br></p><p class=ql-align-justify>Resulting from more than three years of research by an international group of over fifty scholars the volume advocates for a modern understanding of the common good-rather than a theological or metaphysical good-in societies by emphasising the social practice of 'commoning' at its core. It suggests that the dynamic equilibrium of common goods in a society should be at the centre of development efforts. For this purpose it develops a matrix of common good dynamics accounting for how institutions social norms and common practices interconnect by identifying five key drivers not only of development but human development (<em>agency</em> <em>governance</em> <em>justice</em> <em>stability</em> <em>humanity</em>). Based on this matrix the contributors suggest a possible metric for measuring the quality of these dynamics. The last section of the book highlights the possibilities enabled by this approach through a series of case studies. </p><p class=ql-align-justify><br></p><p class=ql-align-justify>The concept of the common good has recently enjoyed a revival and inspired practitioners keen to look beyond the shortcomings of political and economic liberalism. This book builds on those efforts to think beyond the agenda of twentieth-century development policies and will be of interest to those working in the fields of development economics sociology philosophy and political science.</p>