Hinduism and international development: religions and development background paper

Abstract

This background paper is concerned with the intersection between Hinduism and international development. It provides an overview of existing studies, discusses the views of some of the main academic interpreters who have drawn attention to links between Hinduism and issues relevant to development, and refers to relevant religious organizations.The paper is divided into three main sections. The first section aims to clarify what is meant by the 'Hindu Tradition'. In the second section, the relationship between Hinduism and some concepts and debates relevant to development (social ethics, including human rights and inequality; political systems; and attitudes towards economics, including notions of wellbeing, poverty and wealth) are explored. The final section contains a more focussed investigation into some important contemporary development issues and the ways that Hindus might approach them.