In the aggregate, then,political participation likely has important effects on policy choices and outcomes. In addition to the effects of participation on policy outcomes, however,political participation may matter in a very different way,by providing an individual with direct utility and thereby increasing happiness and satisfaction with life (SWL) in general. In Development as freedom,the economist Amartya Sen speaks of the freedom to participate as being a key form of development. Sen views participation in making decisions that affect one's life and the lives of others as fundamental to human well-being. With his co-author lean Dreze, Sen writes, "Participation can also be seen to have intrinsic value for the quality of life. Indeed, being able to do something through political action-for oneself or for others-is one of the elementary freedoms that people have reason to value