On the Meaning of Development: An Exploration of the Capability Approach

Abstract

For a long time, scholars and activists have been arguing that enhancement of well-being should be the central purpose of development. Sen has made a major contribution to this tradition by presenting a holistic liberal view of development as a process of expansion of people's capabilities. This article critically explores Sen's capability approach and its differences from the currently dominant neoliberal approach. It argues that market reforms do not always promote substantive freedoms and highlights the historical role of political struggles in achieving capability expansion for workers and other sections of society. It notes that the capability approach can be useful in interpreting and evaluating social change and human wellbeing if it can be incorporated into a broader political-economic framework that captures the institutional environments in which people strive to achieve functionings they have reason to value.