There is . . . no foundational departure in making economic analysis and
policy take extensive note of the demands of human development. This
approach reclaims an existing heritage, rather than importing or implanting a
new diversion. . . . The interest in human development has had to compete with
other priorities and pursuits within the body of mainstream economics. The
preoccupation with commodity production, opulence, and financial success can
also be traced in economics through several centuries. . .Indeed, the dominant
contemporary tradition of focusing on such variables as per capita gross
national product (GNP) or national wealth is a continuation – perhaps even an
intensification – of the old opulence-oriented approach