The Rights/Development Nexus: Sen, Olson, and the Obesity Rights Movement

David W. Rasmussen

Social Science Quarterly, 2019, vol. 100, issue 3, 923-935

Abstract: Objective This article explores how economic development facilitates the creation of interest groups that seek to improve their “capabilities” that, as Amartya Sen has explained, can enhance human freedom. Mancur Olson's work shows that long periods of political stability can foster “distributive coalitions” that benefit small interest groups at the expense of the nation. Method In this context, the fat acceptance movement is analyzed. Oriented toward reducing discrimination against overweight people, it works to improve their well‐being. Results The fat acceptance movement represents a new kind of distributive coalition: rather than transferring income to overweight people, it imposes significant medical costs on the rest of society. Conclusion This externality provides a justification for public policies that can influence weight without compromising the dignity of overweight people

Date: 2019
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12577

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:socsci:v:100:y:2019:i:3:p:923-935

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0038-4941

Access Statistics for this article

Social Science Quarterly is currently edited by Robert L. Lineberry

More articles in Social Science Quarterly from Southwestern Social Science Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().