The Capabilities Approach

Origins

Over the last decade, Sen’s capability approach has emerged as one of the leading alternatives to mainstream economic thought on poverty, inequality, and human development. Beginning with his definition of basic capability equality presented in his Tanner Lecture ‘Equality of What?’, Sen has developed a framework directly concerned with human capabilities and functioning. Sen’s approach has strong connections with Adam Smith’s analysis of necessities and living conditions and Karl Marx’s concern with human freedom and emancipation. Later Sen also recognized the one of the most powerful conceptual connections relates to Aristotle’s theory of political distribution and his analysis of eudaimonia – human flourishing. While the roots of the capabilities can be traced as far back as Aristotle, Smith, and Marx, there are also more recent links. Sen often notes that Rawl’s Theory of Justice and its emphasis on self respect and access to primary goods has deeply influenced the capabilities approach. The capabilities approach probably has the most in common with the basic needs approach to development that was developed by Paul Streeten et al and Frances Stewart. Sen also compares and contrasts the capabilities approach with close rivals that concentrate on entitlements, the priority of liberty, human rights, and human capital. Through those comparisons he shows that while each approach has something to offer, only the capabilities approach is able to address all relevant concerns.

Sen's Capabilities Approach | The Capabilities Approach | Critiques | Real World Applications