Public sociology and the capability approach: exploring the potential of a fruitful combination

In this chapter we explore the contribution of Sen’s capability approach to a ‘public sociology’. Through notions such as ‘positional objectivity’, ‘informational basis of judgment in justice’ and ‘reason to value’, the capability approach links facts and values in a way that justifies integrating experiential knowledge within the scientific process. The importance of ‘public reasoning’ and ‘capability for voice’ is thus emphasized. After a theoretical discussion of the capability approach and its epistemological and political implications, the chapter illustrates how these concerns can be concretely implemented in empirical research, drawing from a research project on a local-level programme for young NEETs. We highlight both the added value and the challenges of this approach centred on creating knowledge through mutual education and we suggest that the arguments developed in this chapter are relevant also for public policies at the macro-level and not only for micro-experiments such as the one considered here.