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Is Sen's Capability Approach an Adequate Basis for Considering Human Development

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  • Gasper, D.R.

Abstract

Sen's capability approach (SCA) has suppo1ied valuable work on Human Development (HD), bringing attention to a much wider range of information on people's freedoms and well-being than in most earlier economie planning, but has troubling features and requires modification and enrichment. The paper first identifies the approach' s components, the contributions of the HD Reports, and the doubts whether SCA has sufficient conception of human personhood to sustain work on HD beyond finding indices superior to GDP. It then examines SCA's central concepts. The concepts of capability and functioning lead us to consider both possibilities and outcomes, but their definition and use has been confusing. Besides Sen's opportunity concept of 'capability' we must distinguish skills and potentials; and distinguish levels and types of 'functioning'. To understand both consumerism and what can motivate and drive more humanly fulfilling development, we must elaborate different aspects and sources of 'well-being' and the content and requirements of 'agency', more than in Sen's chosen strategy. SCA's priority category of opportunity-capability must be read as a measure of personal advantage relevant in many public policy situations, rather than as a theory of well-being; and its concept of freedom must be partnered by concepts of reason and need.

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  • Gasper, D.R., 2002. "Is Sen's Capability Approach an Adequate Basis for Considering Human Development," ISS Working Papers - General Series 50674, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    • Handle: RePEc:ems:euriss:50674
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    Cited by:

    1. Wiebke Kuklys & Ingrid Robeyns, 2004. "Sens's Capability Approach to Welfare Economics," Papers on Strategic Interaction 2004-03, Max Planck Institute of Economics, Strategic Interaction Group.
    2. Antoinette Baujard & Muriel Gilardone, 2017. "Sen is not a capability theorist," Journal of Economic Methodology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 1-19, January.
    3. Ballet, Jérôme & Marchand, Lucile & Pelenc, Jérôme & Vos, Robin, 2018. "Capabilities, Identity, Aspirations and Ecosystem Services: An Integrated Framework," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 21-28.
    4. Sung-Geun Kim, 2015. "Fuzzy Multidimensional Poverty Measurement: An Analysis of Statistical Behaviors," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 120(3), pages 635-667, February.
    5. Hoque, Md. Rakibul, 2020. "The impact of the ICT4D project on sustainable rural development using a capability approach: Evidence from Bangladesh," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    6. Kuklys, W. & Robeyns, I., 2004. "Sen’s Capability Approach to Welfare Economics," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0415, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    7. Pelenc, Jérôme, 2014. "Développement humain responsable et aménagement du territoire. Réflexions à partir de deux réserves de biosphère périurbaines en France et au Chili [Responsible Human Development and Land-Use Plann," MPRA Paper 56094, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Saeed, Muhammad Kashif & Hayat, Muhammad Azmat, 2020. "The Impact of Social Cash Transfers on Poverty in Pakistan-A Case Study of Benazir Income Support Programme," MPRA Paper 99805, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    9. Marco Grasso & Enzo Di Giulio, 2003. "Mapping sustainable development in a capability perspective," HEW 0309001, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Agni Kalfagianni, 2014. "Addressing the Global Sustainability Challenge: The Potential and Pitfalls of Private Governance from the Perspective of Human Capabilities," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(2), pages 307-320, June.
    11. Bénédicte Zimmermann, 2012. "Collective responsibility in the workplace from a capability perspective," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 18(1), pages 19-30, February.
    12. Stefano Pareglio & Alessandro Vaglio & Marco Grasso & Stefania Migliavacca & Enzo Di Giulio, 2005. "Modelling sustainable human development in a capability perspective," Public Economics 0504008, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. David Clark, 2005. "Sen's capability approach and the many spaces of human well-being," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(8), pages 1339-1368.
    14. Wei Liu & Jie Xu & Jie Li & Shuzhuo Li, 2019. "Rural Households’ Poverty and Relocation and Settlement: Evidence from Western China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-17, July.
    15. Paul Shaffer, 2008. "New Thinking on Poverty: Implications for Globalisation and Poverty Reduction Strategies," Working Papers 65, United Nations, Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
    16. AfDB AfDB, 2006. "Working Paper 83 - Are African Countries Richer Than They Are Developed? A Multidimensional Analysis of Well-Being," Working Paper Series 2217, African Development Bank.
    17. Tara Natarajan, 2014. "Shifting economics: fundamental questions and Amartya K. Sen’s pragmatic humanism," The Journal of Philosophical Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 8(1), November.
    18. Pelenc, Jérôme, 2014. "Combining the capability approach and Max-Neef’s needs approach for a better assessment of multidimensional well-being and inequalities: a case study perspective with vulnerable teenagers of the regio," MPRA Paper 66277, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. AfDB AfDB, 2006. "Working Paper 83 - Are African Countries Richer Than They Are Developed? A Multidimensional Analysis of Well-Being," Working Paper Series 2297, African Development Bank.

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