A Values-Based Approach to Development: Principles of Content of Development, the Right to Development, and Sustainable (Human) Development

This paper aims at providing an ethical framework for rebuilding, reconstructing, restructuring and revitalizing human capabilities as a means to achieve social empowerment. It strives toward conceptualizing a certain set of guidelines built upon a notion of globally common human values. Using the intellectual tasks of law, science and policy theory, its values and its interdisciplinary methods and tools that require a rigorous and contextual analysis of conflicting claims, and past and future authoritative and controlling responses to them, the paper aims at inventing, evaluating, proposing and selecting alternative solutions and recommendations whose outcome and the process has to generate development. The paper argues that complying with policies, aiming at maximizing access of all to all the most critical and desired values support the establishment of an optimum order of human dignity, which is characterized by maximum access of all to the universe of human aspirations.