ABSTRACT
Gandhi’s commitment to the proposition that ‘ultimately, it is the individual who is the unit’1 inevitably led him to an individualist, rather than a collectivist, view of society’s welfare. It was individuals, rather than caste, class, tribe, race or state, who mattered: ‘if the individual ceases to count, what is left of society?’2 Social choice which was dictatorial or imposed could not properly be regarded as choice at all and satyagraha in the form of non-violent noncooperation always remained a valid option. Considerations relating to individuals’ preferences and welfare were therefore in Gandhi’s view of crucial importance not only in determining consumers’ choices on goods and services but also for making judgements about social and economic institutions and policies. In this matter, Gandhi’s view is entirely in line with the thrust of modern economic theory which, unlike sociology or political science, places the individual at the centre.
