RAS question
The concept of Human Development Index was introduced by:
Correct answer: (B) Mahbub ul Haq.
The Human Development Index was introduced by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq through the first UNDP Human Development Report in 1990.
Explanation
Mahbub ul Haq introduced the Human Development Index in 1990, when the first UNDP Human Development Report presented a new way of judging development. The core shift was from treating income or GDP as the main sign of progress to assessing whether people could lead longer, healthier, better educated and more decent lives. UNDP describes the human development approach as focused on people, their opportunities and their choices, and identifies longevity, education and income as the basic dimensions measured by HDI. Amartya Sen’s work on human capabilities shaped the intellectual base of this approach, but the formal introduction of HDI in the Human Development Report is credited to Mahbub ul Haq.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Adam Smith belongs to classical economics of the eighteenth century, whereas HDI emerged from the UNDP human development approach in 1990.
- (C) Amartya Sen’s capability approach underpinned the idea, but the formal introduction of HDI is credited to Mahbub ul Haq.
- (D) John Maynard Keynes is associated with macroeconomic theory, not with the creation or introduction of the Human Development Index.
Concept
This tests human development indicators in Indian Economy, especially the move from income-centred growth measures to people-centred development measures. It recurs in RAS because HDI is a standard benchmark for comparing development beyond GDP.