The Origins of the Approach: Berkeley's The Querist
Query 2, Section 1: Whether a people can be called poor, where the common Sort are well fed, cloathed, and lodged?
These three items: food, shelter and clothing are often referred to as basic needs by Sen and other development economists. There are many other basic needs such as sustainable access to clean water but for Berkeley's purposes these are the top three. Necessities, or capabilities like these are an intrical part of the capabilities approach.
Query 7, 1: Whether the real End and Aim of Men be not Power? And whether he who could have every Thing else at his Wish or Will, would value Money? Query 8, 1: Whether the public Aim in every well govern'd State be not, that each Member, according to his just Pretensions and Industry, should have Power. Query 9, 1: Whether Power be not refered to Action; and whether Action doth not follow Appetite or Will? (See Emulation)
These three queries deal with a variety of issues like emulation, consumption but most importantly, freedom and power. Sen goes into great detail about positive freedoms and negative freedoms. Positive freedoms enhance life and our personal freedom. Negative freedoms give us freedom from coercion such as murder, rape or enslavement. Berkeley is trying to say that the goal of every state should be that everyone has power, or the capability to do what is necessary for their freedoms, and that might also be the end result of the capabilities approach as well.
Emulation
Query 10, Section 1: Whether Fashion doth not create Appetites, and whether the prevailing Will of a Nation is not the Fashion? Query 14, Section 1: Whether reasonable Fashions are a greater restraint on Freedom than those with are unreasonable?