Development as Freedom

The Parable

Tupac needs his swimming pool maintained. Three unemployed people at a nearby highway exit ramp beg for work. Tupac could hire all three of them and distribute the work, but he only has one pool vacuum so the work cannot be divided. He must choose. The candidates are Jake, who is the most destitute; Bertrand, who recently became poor and is very depressed and Lakrisha, who has a bad limp. At first, Tupac thinks it is best to hire Jake, the poorest. Then he decides on Bertrand, because making a poor, depressed person happy perhaps should be a higher priority than giving a job to a well-adjusted pauper. Then he sees Lakrisha’s limp. She explains that she has an infected wound from a mugging. He considers giving the job to stoic Lakrisha, so that she can get medical help, knowing that her quality of life will be greatly improved when she can afford freedom from pain.

Now Tupac is conflicted. If he knew only that Jake was poor, he would hire Jake. If he knew only that Bertrand was miserable, he would hire Bertrand. If he knew only that a job would save Lakrisha from pain, he would hire her. He chooses Lakrisha, but not easily. If Tupac were a global economist...