This article examines: (1) the origins and meaning of integral human development in the sacred Scriptures and the writings of the ancient Greeks, the Doctors of the Church, and the founders and early contributors to economics; (2) why integral human development, not freedom, is the ultimate objective of the economy; and (3) how to operationalize integral human development as an economic concept. We do not address human development in the encyclicals because it requires more attention than we can give herein.
Edward J. O'Boyle and Patrick J. Welch, "Integral Human Development and the Maximization Principle," Journal of Markets and Morality 17, no.1 (Spring 2014): 47-64.