A Relational Understanding of Human Development

Author: David Hollenbach

February 11, 2021

In this commentary piece, Senior Fellow Rev. David Hollenbach, S.J., explores a relational understanding of human development, drawing on Catholic social teaching and his own experience as a consultant to the Jesuit Refugee Service. Hollenbach argues that interaction and relationship with others in social life are prerequisites for human flourishing. The deepening of personal relationships will in turn lead to the strengthening of human development, an idea rooted in normative traditions, supported by empirical evidence, and directed toward policymakers. This piece was published in Dignity & Development, a blog hosted by the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, on February 11, 2021.

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