Notwithstanding their frequent invisibility in development literature and practice, religious teachings and practices are interwoven through the development agenda in countless ways. In this essay Katherine Marshall argues that critical approaches that recognize wide diversity among religious traditions and their interplay with other social, economic, and political forces are essential in assessing how religious factors are important for development, including the question of how they relate to development ethics. The Golden Rule and Ubuntu principles are unlikely, however, by themselves to transform human beings into kind neighbors and dutiful citizens, nor to build equitable, prospering societies. Rule of law, constant leadership efforts, economic incentives and disincentives, robust education, and opportunities for individual and community development all play their part. They come alongside the values and ethical principles that people draw from their religious heritage, identity, and teachings and that they use to weigh their course of action. This article was published in the Routledge Handbook of Development Ethics.
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