Annotated Source- Amartya Sen

Sen, Amartya. 2000.Development as Freedom, Chapter Four:                Poverty as Capabilities Deprivation. 87-110.

1. What is the source’s stated purpose (the argument or thesis)?

While the source is not exclusively about India, it discusses the poverty problems that India faces in great detail. In Amartya Sen’s eyes, poverty ought to be viewed as more than a lowness of income. Poverty is the deprivation of opportunity and means, whether this is gender inequality and preferential treatment within families, social deprivation and isolation, physical disability, lack of medical care, the inability to become educated, or simply the psychological results from unemployment. 

2. What evidence does the author provide to support his or her main argument? How is the author attempting to logically prove his or her thesis and how does this affect the organization of the document?                                                                                                                                                                                 Sen offers instances where families sacrifice their means to send the boys to school while the women at home are malnourished. Sen offers that nearly half of India’s children are malnourished, while a more recent study finds similar results. In fact, 42% of India’s children under the age of five are malnourished. (I verified Sen’s facts since the book is ten years old). He combines these facts to expand upon and support his theories.

3. Who is the audience? What does the author assume the audience already knows about the topic?

Describe the author’s methods (i.e. how does the author know what he or she knows)?  In your opinion were they appropriate why or why not?

 Sen is targeting the book to a fairly well educated audience that is interested in the field of international development. Sen, as an economist focuses primarily on the data rather than the human aspect of development. His clear writing style and logical approach afforded him an apparent impartial shield under which he was able to reach a wider audience. Sen’s economic background as well as his international renown (Nobel Prize winner) lent him credence. Many authors who write on similar material can put readers off with their sentimentality and personal stories. While a balance between the numbers and the people behind them is certainly necessary, Sen’s concise and logical approach felt less like an attack and more like a mutual revelation.

4. To what other sources (theorist, researchers, artists) does the author refer? Explain the specific ideas the author draws upon from these other sources to support his or her own argument (the theoretical framework).

Sen mainly references facts in his book. His ideas are his own and the facts are there to support his argument. He draws from credible sources like the UN, WHO, etc. He uses his own economic knowledge as well to augment his evidence. This also widens his audience.

5. What are the connections between this source and your project? How useful or applicable is this source’s approach to your own project? How is yours new and different? 

Having a holistic view of development is vital for a field study. Sen uses facts, philosophy… Sen’s article expanded my definition of poverty. I am a international relations major, which means I study both political science and economics. I loved how Sen was able to pull information from so many fields and not just economics. I would like to be able to support my findings from several fields of study. I was intrigued by his writing style, something I would like to emulate. He wrote clearly and concisely, but still maintained the reader’s interest.