Abstract
The end of the Second World War, and the subsequent creation of independent states from colonies, marked the beginning of serious interest among scholars and policy makers in the field of development economics. Though there is agreement among scholars that the ultimate goal of development is to increase the wellbeing of individuals, there is disagreement on the fundamental question of whether economic growth automatically leads to human wellbeing. The mainstream approaches to economic development often equated development with economic growth. However, policies based on this approach failed to solve the problem of poverty and inequality in developing countries. Instead, there were negative social consequences such as the widening of inequality and the weakening of the social fabric in many developing states. As a result of growing inequality and poverty, scholars began to question development policies that focused narrowly on economic growth as an indicator of development. Consequently, there was a gradual shift from growth-oriented economic development approaches to the alternative human development agenda. During the 1980s, important contributions to development theory improved scholars’ understanding of the concept of poverty and its measurement. The emergence of Sen’s capability approach, which later provided the theoretical foundation for the human development paradigm in economics, was among these conceptual advancements that shed a new light on conceptualizing poverty, inequality, and development. This chapter draws on Amartya Sen’s capability approach and recent developments in capability literature, to provide a critical evaluation of the development processes.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abrams EM, Szekler SJ (2020) COVID-19 and the impact of social determinants of health. Lancet Respir Med. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30234-4
Agarwal B (1994) The gender and environment debate: lessons from India. In: Arizpe L, Stone MP, Major DC (eds) Population and environment: rethinking the debate. Westview Press, Boulder, pp 87–124
Alkire S, Foster J, Seth S, Santos E, Roche JM, Ballon P (2015) Multidimensional poverty measurement and analysis. Oxford University Press, New York
Alvey JE (2011) Ethics and economics, today and in the past. J Philos Econ V(1):5–34
Banerjee AV, Duflo E (2011) Poor economics: a radical rethinking of the way to fight global poverty. Public Affairs, New York
Beneria L, Sen G (1981) Accumulation, reproduction, and “women’s role in economic development”: Boserup revisited. Signs J Women Cult Soc 7(2):279–298
Beneria L, Berik G, Floro M (2016) Gender, development and globalization: economics as if all people mattered. Routledge, New York
Bolton SC, Lasser K (2013) Work, employment and society through the lens of moral economy. Work Employ Soc 27(3):508–525
Boserup E (1970) Woman’s role in economic development. St. Martin’s Press, New York
Claassen R (2011) Making capability lists: philosophy versus democracy. Polit Stud 59:491–450
Clark DA (2005) Sen’s capability approach and the many spaces of human well-being. J Dev Stud 41:1339–1368. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220380500186853
Crocker DA, Robeyns I (2010) In: Morris CW (ed) Amartya Sen. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 40–59
Dalziel P, Saunders C, Saunders J (2018) Wellbeing economics: capabilities approach to prosperity. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Eiffe FF (2010) Amartya Sen reading Adam Smith. Hist Econ Rev 51(1):1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/18386318.2010.11682153
Evans PB (2002) Collective capabilities, culture and Amartya Sen’s development as freedom. Stud Comp Int Dev 37(2):54–60. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686261
Ferber MA, Nelson JA (eds) (1993) Beyond economic man: feminist theory and economics. University of Chicago Press, Chicago
Floro MS (2016) Feminist approaches to development. In: Ghosh J, Kattel R, Reinert E (eds) Elgar handbook of alternative theories of economic development. Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., Cheltenham, pp 416–440
Floro MS (2019) Feminist economist’s reflections on economic development: theories and policy debates. In: Nissanke M, Ocampo JA (eds) The Palgrave handbook of development economics: critical reflection on development and economics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp 61–108
Folbre N (2006) Measuring care: gender, empowerment, and the care economy. J Hum Dev 7(2):183–199
Folbre N, Nelson JA (2000) For love or money – or both? J Econ Perspect 14(4):123–140
Gandjour A (2008) Mutual dependency between capabilities and functionings in Amartya Sen’s capability approach. Soc Choice Welf 31:345–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00355-007-0283-7
Gasper D (2002) Is Sen’s capability approach an adequate basis for considering human development? Rev Polit Econ 14(4):435–461. https://doi.org/10.1080/0953825022000009898
Götz N (2015) Moral economy’: its conceptual history and analytical prospects. J Glob Ethics 11(2):147–162
Haq M (1995) Reflections on human development. Oxford University Press, New York
Herzberg F (1987) One more time: How do you motivate employees? Harv Bus Rev September–October:109–120
Ibrahim S (2006) From individual to collective capabilities: the capability approach as a conceptual framework for self-help. J Hum Dev 7(3):397–416. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880600815982
Jasek-Rysdahl K (2001) Applying Sen’s capabilities framework to neighborhoods: using local asset maps to deepen our understanding of well-being. Rev Soc Econ 59:313–329
Jessop B (2002) The future of the capitalist state. Polity, Cambridge
Kofti D (2016) Moral economy of flexible production: fabricating precarity between the conveyor belt and the household. Anthropol Theory 16(4):433–453
Kusnet D (2008) Love the work, hate the job: why America’s best workers are more unhappy than ever. John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken
Leßmann O (2020) Collectivity and the capability approach: survey and discussion. Rev Soc Econ. https://doi.org/10.1080/00346764.2020.1774636
Martins N (2007) Ethics, ontology and capabilities. Rev Polit Econ 19:37–53. https://doi.org/10.1080/09538250601080768
Mies M (1997) Do we need a new “moral economy”? Can Woman Stud 17(2):12–20
Morris CW (2010) Ethics in economics. In: Morris CW (ed) Amartya Sen. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 40–59
Na ̈re L (2011) The moral economy of domestic and care labour. Sociology 45(3):395–416
Naz F (2016) Understanding human well-being: how could Sen’s capabilities approach contribute? Forum Soc Econ. https://doi.org/10.1080/07360932.2016.1222947
Nelson JA (2010) Care ethics and markets: a view from feminist economics. Tufts University, Medford
Nussbaum M (2000) Women and human development. The capability approach. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Nussbaum MC (2003) Capabilities as fundamental entitlements: Sen and social justice. Fem Econ 9(2–3):33–59
Nussbaum M (2011) Creating capabilities: the human development approach. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Pelenca J, Bazilec D, Cerutid C (2015) Collective capability and collective agency for sustainability: a case study. Ecol Econ 118:226–239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2015.07.001
Pigou AC (1912) Wealth and welfare. Macmillan, London
Pigou AC (1920) The economics of welfare. Macmillan, London
Pressman S, Summerfield G (2000) The economic contributions of Amartya Sen. Rev Polit Econ 12:89–113
Putnam H (2002) The collapse of the fact/value dichotomy and other essays. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Qizilbash M (2005) Sen on freedom and gender justice. Fem Econ 11:151–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/13545700500301551
Qizilbash M (2014) Are modern philosophical accounts of well-being excessively ‘individualistic’? Int Rev Econ 61(2):173–189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12232-014-0204-x
Rajapakse N (2015) Bringing ethics into the capitalist model: Amartya Sen’s approach to economic theory and financial capitalism. Revue LISA/LISA e-journal. https://doi.org/10.4000/lisa.8233
Razavi S (1996) Excess female mortality: an indicator or female insubordination? A note drawing on village-level evidence from South Eastern Iran. Politeia 12(43–44):79–96
Robbins L (1935) An essay on the nature and significance of economic science, 2nd edn. Macmillan, London
Robeyns I (2003) Sen’s capability approach and gender inequality: selecting relevant capabilities. Fem Econ 9(2–3):61–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/1354570022000078024
Robeyns I (2005) The capability approach: a theoretical survey. J Hum Dev 6(1):93–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/146498805200034266
Robeyns I (2008) Sen’s capability approach and feminist concerns. In: Comim F, Qizilbash M, Alkire S (eds) The capability approach: concepts, measures and applications. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 82–104
Robeyns I (2009) The capability approach. In: Peil J, Van Staveren I (eds) The handbook of ethics and economics. Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham/Northampton, pp 39–46
Robeyns I (2017) Wellbeing, freedom and social justice: the capability approach re-examined. Open Book Publishers, Cambridge
Sayer A (2000) Moral economy and political economy. Stud Polit Econ Spring:79–103
Sayer A (2001) For a critical cultural political economy. Antipode Why Things Matter to People: Social Science, Values and Ethical Life. Cambridge University Press 33:687–708
Sayer A (2004) Moral economy. Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster. http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/papers/sayer-moral-economy.pdf
Sayer A (2007) Moral economy as critique. New Political Econ 12(2):261–270
Sayer A (2011) Why things matter to people: social science, values and ethical life. Cambridge University Press
Schildberg C (2014) A caring and sustainable economy. A concept note from a feminist perspective. http://library.fes.de/pdf-files/iez/10809.pdf. 08 Dec 2019
Schmid HB (2007) Beyond self-goal choice: Amartya Sen’s analysis of the structure of commitment and the role of shared desires. In: Peter F, Schmid HB (eds) Rationality and commitment. Oxford University Press, pp 211–226
Sen A (1970) Collective choice and social welfare. Holden-Day, San Francisco
Sen A (1981) Poverty and famine: an essay on entitlement and deprivations. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Sen AK (1982) Choice, welfare and measurement. Basil Blackwell, Oxford
Sen A (1983) Development: which way now? Econ J 93:745–776
Sen A (1985) Commodities and capabilities. North-Holland, Amsterdam
Sen A (1987) On ethics and economics. Basil Blackwell, Oxford
Sen A (1988) The concept of development. In: Chenery H, Srinivason TN (eds) Handbook of development economics, vol 1. Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam, pp 9–26
Sen A (1989) Development as capability expansion. J Dev Plan 19:41–58
Sen A (1990) Gender and cooperative conflict. In: Tinker I (ed) Persistent inequalities. Oxford University Press, New York, pp 123–149
Sen A (1992) Inequality reexamined. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Sen A (1993) Capability and wellbeing. In: Nussbaum M, Sen AK (eds) The quality of life. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 30–53
Sen A (1995) The political economy of targeting. In: van de Walle D, Neat K (eds) Public spending and the poor. John Hopkins University Press for the World Bank, Baltimore, pp 11–24
Sen AK (1996) On the foundations of welfare economics: utility, capability, and practical reason. In: Farina F, Hahn F, Vannucci S (eds) Ethics, rationality, and economic behaviour. Clarendon Press, Oxford
Sen A (1998) Mortality as an indicator of economic success and failure. Econ J 108(446):1–25
Sen A (1999a) Development as freedom. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Sen A (1999b) Rational fools: a critique of behavioural foundations of economic theory. In: Sen AK (ed) Choice, welfare, and measurement, Paperback edn. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, pp 84–106
Sen A (2002) Rationality and freedom. Harvard University Press, Cambridge
Sen AK (2003) Sraffa, Wittgenstein, and Gramsci. J Econ Lit 41:1240–1255
Sidgwick H (1883) The principles of political economy. Macmillan, London
Stewart F (2005) Groups and capabilities. J Hum Dev 6(2):185–204. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880500120517
Stewart F, Deneulin S (2002) Amartya Sen’s contribution to development thinking. Stud Comp Int Dev 37(2):61–70. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02686262
Stiglitz J, Sen A, Fitoussi J (2009) Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress. https://www.insee.fr/en/information/2662494. Accessed 25 Dec 2020
Thompson EP (1961) The long revolution (part II). New Left Rev I(10):34–39
Thompson EP (1971) The moral economy of the English crowd in the eighteenth century. Past Present 50:76–136
Thorbecke E (2019) The history and evolution of the development doctrine, 1950–2017. In: Nissanke M, Ocampo JA (eds) The Palgrave handbook of development economics: critical reflection on development and economics. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, pp 61–108
Tronto J (1993) Moral boundaries. A political argument for an ethics of care. Routledge Veil, New York/London
UNDP (2011) Human development report: sustainability and equity. Palgrave Macmillan, New York
UNDP (1990) Human Development Report 1990. New York: Oxford University Press
UNDP (2020) COVID-19 and human development: assessing the crisis, envisioning the recovery. http://hdr.undp.org/en/hdp-covid. Accessed 9 Jan 2021
Walker J, Berekashvili N, Lomidze N (2014) Valuing time: time use survey, the capability approach, and gender analysis. J Hum Dev Capab 15(1):47–59
Zigon J (2007) Moral breakdown and the ethical demand: a theoretical framework for an anthropology of moralities. Anthropol Theory 7(2):131–150
Zimmermann B (2006) Pragmatism and the capability approach: challenges in social theory and empirical research. Eur J Soc Theory 9:467–484. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368431006073014
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this entry
Cite this entry
Naz, F. (2022). Learning from Intellectual History: Reflection on Sen’s Capabilities Approach and Human Development. In: McCallum, D. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of the History of Human Sciences. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7255-2_7
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-7255-2_7
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-7254-5
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-7255-2
eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences