ABSTRACT
Taking action to transform situations and change the conditions which prevent people from living well is critical in both Sen’s conception of development and in the Catholic social tradition. This chapter discusses some key transformational pathways highlighted in both. It examines the central role of public reasoning and public action in Sen’s perspective. The chapter singles out the capacity of the marginalized to organize themselves politically and highlights the importance of public discussion on what affects the lives of the disadvantaged and the need for a sense of solidarity. It also examines the influence of power on public reasoning processes and the role of education in value formation. The chapter then discusses how public action has been conceptualized in the Catholic social tradition. It underlines similarities with Sen’s perspective, such as a focus on institutional analysis and the central role of human agency. It also draws some differences of emphasis, such as the orientation of public action towards the common good – what the Catholic tradition calls social or political love – a focus on accompaniment of marginalized communities, and the anchoring of public reasoning in a culture of encounter, attentiveness, and self-examination. It concludes by examining how Sen’s perspective could inform the Catholic Church’s own journey of transformation.
