Sustainability and development through the humanistic lens of Schumacher and Sen

A particularly visible aspect of multidimensional approaches to human development and ecological boundaries has been the elaboration of various types of indicators. But such an activity has often proceeded without much scrutiny of: (i) the theory and philosophy that underpins the multidimensional conception expressed through those indicators; and (ii) the socio-economic structure behind those indicators. This article addresses those questions, through a comparison of two authors who pioneered multidimensional approaches aimed at a more humane and sustainable approach to development: A. K. Sen, who focused essentially on human development; and E. F. Schumacher, who also advocated a humane approach to development, but within a conception where ecological sustainability is at the core of the analysis.