SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: Challenges Faced in an Unequal and Plural Society

The word ‘development’ was used for many years to refer primarily to economic development only. The concept of social development as different from economic development arose out of the many discussions at the national conferences as also out of the discussions in many international meetings under the auspices of United Nations. The papers brought together in this book were mainly prepared for these national and international meetings and deal with the effort to build a bridge between social work and social development. Besides, the book also examines the broader philosophy of social development and its linkages with the concept of human rights and the fundamental rights as enshrined in the Indian Constitution. Some of the papers also look into the different aspects of the process of development. Another concern in writing these was how this field is relevant to social work practice. In a nutshell, it discusses and elaborates the concept of development in a liberal society which recognises the existence of inequities and is concerned with how to minimise them and with what role social workers can play in it.