Capability Approach Research Articles

Smart Cities for All? Bridging Digital Divides for Socially Sustainable and Inclusive Cities

This paper aims to emphasize the need for enhancing inclusivity and accessibility within smart-city societies. It represents the first attempt to apply Amartya Sen’s capability approach by exploring the implications of digital divides for promoting inclusive and climate-friendly cities that prioritize well-being, equity, and societal participation. Sen’s framework recognizes individual variations in converting resources into valuable ‘functionings’, and herein emphasizes the importance of aligning personal, social, and environmental conversion factors for individuals to fully navigate, participate in, and enjoy the benefits provided by smart cities. Adopting the capability approach and employing a cross-disciplinary analysis of the scientific literature, the primary objective is to broaden understanding of how to improve inclusivity and accessibility within smart-city societies, with a specific focus on marginalized community members facing first- and second-level digital divides. This paper underscores the importance of adopting a systemic perspective on climate-smart city navigation and stresses the importance of establishing a unified governing body responsible for monitoring, evaluating, and enhancing smart-city functionality. The paper concludes by summarizing some policy recommendations to boost social inclusion and address climate change in smart cities, such as creating capability-enhancing institutions, safeguarding redundancy in public-choice options, empowering citizens, and leveraging academic knowledge in smart-city policy formulation.

A Capability Approach Analysis of a Mobile Language Learning Program for Migrants

This paper describes a Capability Approach analysis of the capabilities, functionings, and conversion factors reported by learners on workplace-based mobile language learning courses. The study used secondary data from student satisfaction surveys from 556 learners who were all recent migrants to the US and who were using the courses to study English. Use of the Capability Approach highlights that the promises of mobile learning were not available to all learners as conversion factors (individual, social, environmental, and technological) inhibited their participation in the courses. The study shows how some learners experienced a tension between well-being and agency as they were unable to study the content they wanted in the way they wanted. It also demonstrates that factors around the business model of the company that created the courses impacted the level to which learners were able to participate in the program. Finally, the study illustrates that learners were able to extend the language they learned through the course into other areas of their lives and to help others.

The Household Food Security Status of Food Assistance Programs and Food Security Initiatives

Purpose: The general objective of the study was to investigate the household food security status of food assistance programs and food security initiatives. Methodology: The study adopted a desktop research methodology. Desk research refers to secondary data or that which can be collected without fieldwork. Desk research is basically involved in collecting data from existing resources hence it is often considered a low cost technique as compared to field research, as the main cost is involved in executive’s time, telephone charges and directories. Thus, the study relied on already published studies, reports and statistics. This secondary data was easily accessed through the online journals and library. Findings: The findings reveal that there exists a contextual and methodological gap relating to household food security status and food assistance programs. Preliminary empirical review revealed that food assistance programs, including SNAP, WIC, and school meal programs, played a critical role in improving food security among vulnerable populations. However, it emphasized the importance of adopting a holistic approach to address underlying causes of food insecurity, such as poverty and systemic inequalities. Community-based initiatives and efforts to strengthen local food systems were identified as promising complements to traditional food assistance programs. Targeted interventions tailored to the unique needs of different population groups were also deemed essential. Overall, the study highlighted the need for coordinated efforts from various stakeholders to build resilient and equitable food systems and ensure access to nutritious food for all. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The Social Determinants of Health theory, Systems theory and Capability Approach may be used to anchor future studies on household food security. The study provided valuable recommendations that contributed to theory, practice, and policy in addressing food insecurity. It integrated theoretical frameworks such as the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) theory, highlighting the complex dynamics underlying food insecurity. Practically, it emphasized the importance of multi-sectoral approaches, community engagement, and participatory decision-making in program design and implementation. At the policy level, the study advocated for comprehensive strategies that prioritize food security as a fundamental human right, including strengthening and expanding existing food assistance programs, fostering collaboration among stakeholders, and promoting evidence-based policy reforms. Overall, the study advanced understanding and action on food security by addressing systemic drivers, promoting collaborative practices, and advocating for policy changes.

Design of an interdisciplinary training program for interprofessional collaboration in health and social services in patient partnership: contribution of an empowering approach reinforced by instructional design

Interprofessional education (IPE) has been a key area of research and teaching practice for the past twenty years in both university and practice settings in the health sciences and social psychology. IPE training opportunities arise when students from multiple health professions interactively learn together about interprofessional collaboration and how to improve care outcomes for the community at large. It has been proven that the design of care is of higher quality when healthcare professionals understand each other's respective roles, facilitating their communication and teamwork. However, this type of pedagogical approach to interdisciplinary training is fraught with problems, such as communication barriers, synchronization of schedules and logistics, as well as the compartmentalization of professions, which can lead to prejudice despite the educational efforts made. What's more, these courses are attended by large cohorts of initial university trainees, and their pedagogical design may lack authentic anchors, thus diminishing the ability of individuals to mobilize interprofessional collaboration in care partnerships. This article proposes a theoretical model based on an enhanced capability approach, including the use of pedagogical design for student success, to design this type of training by overcoming.

How do coffee farmers engage with digital technologies? A capabilities perspective

AbstractA reality-design gap in the conceptualization and practice of digital agriculture has been systematically reported in the literature. This condition is favored by the lack of understanding and inclusion of local worldviews around digital technologies. Informed by Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach, this study looks to bring stories of local appropriation to the spotlight. Based on a qualitative approach that included data collected through interviews with 73 households, the authors explored the way in which two selected communities of Colombian coffee growers are engaged in the use of digital technologies in material and symbolic ways. Three emergent themes—a relational way of farming, (dis)connected machines, and nurtured families and communities – articulate multiple interactions between farmers, farms, institutional programs, and technologies, that originate local forms of digitalization (and non-digitalization). This study points out the relevant role of situated ideas of development in positioning technologies in or out of the farm, and broader digitalization agendas in or out of farmers’ life projects. At the same time, it presents a critique of notions of universality that drive unquestioned quests for technification. In contrast, building on a relational perspective, this study calls for embracing a perspective of multiplicity within notions of development and innovation.

Monetary valuation of one year in full capability and health based on demographics, health status, income and well-being

ABSTRACT Background Budget constraints in health-care systems have led to the popularity of Cost Effectiveness Thresholds (CET) to achieve efficient allocation of resources. The capability approach has been hailed for its potentially richer evaluative capabilities compared to the QALY in terms of thresholds. Extensive research, however, is still limited. Research design and methods This study estimated the monetary value of a year in full capability (YFC) and compared it to monetary value of a QALY for the Hungarian population. Data was collected from a large, cross sectional, representative online survey on the adult Hungarian population. Applying the wellbeing valuation method, health, capability, and income were then regressed against wellbeing to estimate ‘shadow prices’ for one QALY and YFC controlling for gender, age, employment, education, marital and social support. To examine ‘core’ regression coefficients, a robustness check was conducted. Results Health (VAS) and capability (ICECAP-A) had a positive and significant effect on Subjective Well-Being. The monetary values of one QALY and one YFC were 39 459 EUR and 58 148 EUR respectively. Conclusions These tools provide a systematic approach to determining ‘compensating income’ for certain illnesses, disabilities and levels of pain. The capability approach shown to be broader than the QALY.

Population And Development: Employing The Capability Approach in Family Planning Policy for Women In Indonesia

Indonesia currently holds the position of the fourth most populous country globally, facing persistent challenges such as poverty, hunger, gender inequality, and disparity. In response, a family planning program was initiated in the 1980s to regulate population growth. Using the capability approach, this research investigates the impact of Indonesia's family planning policy on women, emphasizing gender disparity resulting from inadequate support for human rights in population and family development. Conversion factors play a significant role in shaping women's freedom and capabilities. The study critically examines the strengths and weaknesses of the family planning policy, revealing obstacles for women related to governance shifts, conflicting policies, government inefficiencies, and BKKBN's limitations. The study underscores the importance of effective implementation across all sectors and agencies to address gender inequality in women's health

Experiences and Perceptions of Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) Among Homeless Women in Cape Town

This study qualitatively explored the experiences and perceptions of period poverty among homeless women in Cape Town, South Africa, using the Capability Approach. The study was guided by a qualitative research design and non-probability sampling was used in recruiting participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with 16 homeless women who experienced period poverty. The individual interviews were done mainly in English and in IsiZulu and isiXhosa. The interviews lasted for a minimum of 45 minutes and were voice-recorded using a phone. A semi-structed interview schedule with 33 open-ended questions was used during the data collection process. The data analysis aspect of this study relied on the work of Creswell (2012) and Tesch (1990). The findings revealed that homeless women experience period poverty due to a lack of sanitary products and poor Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM). Sen (1999) identified five ‘instrumental freedoms’ that, according to him, play a role in the general capability of a person to live more freely. Of the five instrumental freedoms, the third freedom,’ social opportunities,’ resonates deeply with this study. This freedom refers to facilities and arrangements available to uplift society. Examples of this would be access to quality education and healthcare. Homeless women lack access to quality healthcare and therefore experience obstacles to achieve effective MHM. The lack of sanitary products causes homeless women to resort to the unhygienic use of items such as rags, old socks, tissue paper, paper towels, torn pieces of clothing, or diapers, to satisfy their menstrual needs. Alternatively, they go about life without any menstrual protection and bleed through their undergarments and clothing. This results in them wearing blood-soaked items for days, or even weeks. Additionally, homeless women do not have access to safe water and sanitation facilities that are required to effectively manage their period. The paper serves as a means of highlighting how life, government policy, funding, etc. are still restricted to issues that relate to men. As a result, a multifaceted and holistic approach to addressing period poverty amongst homeless women is encouraged and provision should be made for the type of sanitary products and facilities that homeless women are most comfortable using.

The capability approach in rehabilitation: developing capability care

Purpose To develop a multidisciplinary outpatient rehabilitation intervention for people with neuromuscular diseases (NMD) based on the capability approach: capability care for persons with NMD. Materials and methods The development process is described using a framework of actions for intervention development. It has been an iterative process consisting of a design phase based on theoretical insights and project group discussions, and a refine phase involving input from relevant stakeholders. Results Multidisciplinary efforts have resulted in the development of capability care for rehabilitation of persons with NMD. It can focus both on facilitating and achieving functionings (beings and doings), as well as looking for alternative functionings that fulfil the same underlying value, thereby contributing to the persons’ well-being. To facilitate a conversation on broader aspects that impact on well-being, persons with NMD receive a preparation letter and healthcare professionals are provided with guiding questions and practical tools to use. Conclusions We have shown that it is possible to develop a healthcare intervention based on the capability approach. We hope that rehabilitation professionals will be encouraged to use capability care and that other medical professionals will be inspired to develop capability care in their respective fields. Registration Registered at trialregister.nl NL8946

Institution level awarding gap metrics for identifying educational inequity: useful tools or reductive distractions?

AbstractEquity is increasingly seen as a core value for higher education systems around the world. (In)equity is often measured through construction of achievement gaps, quantifying the relative outcomes of two populations of students. Institution-level gaps are embedded in the policy landscape of HE, becoming performance metrics in their own right. These gap metrics increasingly inform the actions of governments, regulators, institutions and educators. This theoretical article scrutinises the technical and conceptual construction of achievement gaps through using the dominant UK conception of the institution level degree classification ‘awarding gap’. Drawing on Adam’s Equity Theory of Motivation, Rawls’s Distributive Justice and the Capability Approach as theoretical perspectives, I highlight multiple structural weaknesses in the conception of the awarding gap. I illustrate the implications of this metric by analysing simulated awarding gap data for a fictional institution, and through the perspectives of five idealised stakeholders. I identify multiple technical and theoretical limitations of the institution level awarding gap metric, including examples where the threshold-based nature of the awarding gap fails to capture statistical differences between groups, thereby undermining its utility in identifying inequity. I call on the sector to develop metrics that more accurately capture (in)equity of outcomes and align better with theoretical frameworks, thereby creating more powerful explanatory metrics that can inform meaningful action.

Investing in socio-emotional skills during early childhood to achieve capabilities and fight poverty: overcoming socioeconomic vulnerabilities in Brazil through Criança Feliz

This paper aims to discuss early childhood social-emotional development as a means to achieve capabilities and reduce poverty and inequality. Social-emotional skills provide the necessary cognitive tools to support individuals during choices and decisions that will affect socioeconomic status. Therefore, the connection between the socio-emotional skills approach and the capabilities must be established. When developed and mastered, the social-emotional skills improve opportunities and promote new capabilities to achieve desirable results (capabilities to function). If this development starts during early childhood, it ensures the right to exercise agency power, improving future economic results. For that reason, developing these skills in disadvantaged populations is a necessary condition to promote freedom and equality of opportunity, ensuring inclusive socio-economic development. The goals of "Programa Criança Feliz" (PCF), an early childhood social-emotional development program for disadvantaged children launched in October 2016 in Brazil, are analyzed in this paper through the connection between socio-emotional skills and the capabilities approach. This program integrates public policies that reduce the weakness of will and provide skills to overcome socioeconomic vulnerabilities in Brazil. Therefore, this paper contributes through the analysis of PCF, and the connection of the development of socio-emotional skills during early childhood to achieve capabilities and fight poverty.

Development and validation of a Context-sensitive Positive Health Questionnaire (CPHQ): A factor analysis and multivariate regression study

BackgroundThe concept of Positive Health (PH) has gained increasing attention as a way of measuring individuals’ ability to adapt in the face of contextual challenges. However, a suitable measurement instrument for PH that encompasses contextual factors has not yet been developed. This paper responds to this need by developing a Context-specific Positive Health (CPH) measurement instrument that aligns with the Capability Approach (CA).MethodsThe measurement instrument was developed and tested among a representative sample of 1002 Dutch internet survey panel members with diverse sociodemographic backgrounds. The instrument was developed in two stages: a preparation phase consisting of focus groups and expert consultations, and a validation among a representative panel of Dutch citizens. The goal of the preparation phase, was to pilot test and refine previously proposed Positive Health questionnaires into an initial version of the CPHQ. The validation phase aimed to examine the initial CPHQ’s factorial validity using Factor Analysis, and its concurrent validity using Multivariate Regression Analysis.ResultsThe developed questionnaire demonstrated adequate factorial and concurrent validity. Furthermore, it explicitly includes an assessment of resilience, this being a key component of PH.ConclusionsThe introduced measurement tool, the CPHQ, comprises 11 dimensions that we have labeled as follows: relaxation, autonomy, fitness, perceived environmental safety, exclusion, social support, financial resources, political representation, health literacy, resilience, and enjoyment. In this article, we present four major contributions. Firstly, we embedded the measurement in a theoretical framework. Secondly, we focused the questionnaire on a key concept of Positive Health - the “ability to adapt.” Thirdly, we addressed issues of health inequality by considering contextual factors. Finally, we facilitated the development of more understandable measurement items.

ICT4D and the capability approach: understanding how freedom of expression on ICTs affect human development at the country-level

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to examine freedom of expression on ICTs as a conversion factor that impacts the success of information and communication technology for development (ICT4D). Prior country-level econometric research on ICT4Ds has measured development using resource- or utilitarian-based approaches. We utilize the capability approach, a people-centered approach which presents the opportunity to look at conversion factors in a country. Using the capability approach framework, four country-level conversion factors of ICTs are identified as enablers/restrictors of either opportunity or process freedoms, and then are hypothesized with relation to human development. Using archival data and a 2SLS model, we test ICT cost, ICT infrastructure, and the interaction effect between e-participation and freedom of expression on ICTs to predict a country’s human development. Results suggest that both ICT cost and infrastructure significantly affect human development. Furthermore, freedom of expression only impacts human development with high levels of e-participation.

Education between individual freedoms and social arrangements: the case of African graduates in Bulgaria (1960–1990)

The contradiction between the gains achieved in educational attainment in African countries and the persistence of individual and social vulnerability raises questions about the role of education in the development of both individual freedoms and social well-being. Searching for an interpretative key to this paradox, we have turned to the capability approach, developed by Amartya Sen, as offering a broad theoretical framework for the assessment and evaluation of individual freedoms and social arrangements. The research relies on archival documents from various socialist institutions in Bulgaria and 19 interviews with African graduates who studied in Bulgaria during the period 1960–1990. Viewed through the lens of Sen’s capability approach, their educational and professional development reveals the spectrum of opportunities available to individuals as a result of different agreements in the field of education, as well as the deficits and limitations that affect individual and social well-being due to uncertain and changeable social arrangements at macro level. The intention of this research is a call for further development of the capability approach to better understand the dynamic relationships between individuals and social structures, the making of conversions and alternative combinations, and their influences on societal functioning. A possible direction for this development can be seen in Margaret Archer’s concept of corporate agency and collective capacity. Collective agency is viewed as a possible bridge between individual agency and the social arrangements needed for effective societal change.

Social Justice, Anti-Racism, and Disproportionality in Social Work: A Capabilities Approach

ABSTRACT Despite social justice as an ethical imperative, racism is an ongoing problem in social work. Using critical race theory, this paper outlines the capabilities approach (CA) as one conceptual orientation toward social justice, promoting it as a useful anti-racist tool in social work. Employing CA to analyze the disproportionality in social services for racialized individuals in child welfare and health services in the United States and Canada, the article underscores the value of CA to investigate what should constitute social justice in social work. Indigenous Peoples/Native Americans and those of African descent will be the focus of attention. The article delineates how social work might utilize the commitments of CA for themselves as individuals, as well as in social work theory, education, practice, and policy.

Identities and the City: Socialities amongst Migrant Domestic Workers in Kolkata

Migrant subjectivities, experiences and agency have not received the attention needed within development studies discussions on migration, and gender remains to be mainstreamed within understandings of migration. This article attempts to contribute towards bridging these gaps by outlining the findings of a study that explored sociality amongst migrant domestic workers in Kolkata. It outlines experiences of living the migrant identity amongst women migrating from rural West Bengal to Kolkata as well as forms of sociality they engage in at the level of the everyday. Socialities with their employers at the site of paid domestic work allow them to lay claims to the city by drawing on identities based in the Partition of India, 1947. Drawing on the concepts of ‘beings’ from Amartya Sen’s capability approach and of the ‘right to the city’, originally formulated by Henri Lefebvre, the article captures two significant questions emerging from these socialities: those of identity and self, and relationship with the city. It further shows the interrelation between these two frameworks that becomes apparent in the context of what the above socialities imply for the women in the study.

Giddens, Sen and IsiXhosa-Speaking Women Traders: Theoretical Grafting to Enhance Analysis

ABSTRACT Grafting selected elements into a primary theory from another theoretical approach can sometimes enhance the theoretical framework to facilitate more refined data analysis. Because of the possible risks of theoretical fragmentation that may result from incorporating elements of different theories into a single framework, we opted for grafting selected elements of one theory into our primary theory, to carefully retain the logical coherence of the main theory. In this paper, we draw on a study of isiXhosa-speaking women traders in Cape Town’s Langa Township (hereafter referred as Langa) to argue that grafting elements of Sen’s capability approach (CA) into Giddens’s structuration theory (ST) enhanced our theoretical framework. This improved the quality of our analysis and enabled us to generate more nuanced findings. Our qualitative study with 25 African women traders investigated how these women exercised agency in responding to structural constraints and opportunities that affected their trading businesses. We used participant observation and in-depth interviews to collect data. Sen’s CA (grounded in social justice) expanded on Giddens’s notion of structures as constraining and enabling. For this aspect of our theoretical framework, CA informed by Sen’s research on women’s empowerment projects amplified the intersection of gender, class and race constraints that affected the women traders. Furthermore, CA’s emphasis on quality of life and well-being outcomes was useful in helping us assess the transformative capacity of the women traders’ agency. This dimension complemented Giddens’s ST and therefore our theoretical framework was enhanced by grafting in these elements from Sen’s CA.

Institutionalizing Inequality: Field Conditions, Institutional Belonging, and the Distribution of Identities

The institutionalization of inequality represents an important research focus in various strands of the social sciences. Much theory has emerged within organizational studies and economic sociology, and within intersectionality research. However, there has, as yet been only limited work on the micro-processes by which institutions create and perpetuate inequality at the individual level. This article addresses this issue in terms of a new conceptual model that combines institutional theory on field conditions and Amartya Sen’s capability approach. We describe how inequality is institutionalized in terms of the distribution of identity positions and opportunities at the individual level. Specifically, we suggest that the institutionalization of inequality is a product of various types of institutional belonging that leads to (cumulated) disadvantaged identity positions for the individual. Our work connects Senian theory on conversion factors, multiple identities, and opportunity with established organization theory on fields and institutionalization processes to offer news insights into how patterns of inequality persist and may change.

Measuring refugees’ capabilities: translation, adaptation, and valuation of the OxCAP-MH into Juba Arabic for use among South Sudanese male refugees in Uganda

BackgroundForcibly displaced populations are highly vulnerable to psychosocial distress and mental disorders, including alcohol misuse. In an ongoing trial that seeks to develop a transdiagnostic intervention addressing psychological distress and alcohol use disorders among conflict-affected populations, we will carry out a cost-effectiveness evaluation using a capability-based Oxford Capabilities Mental Health (OxCAP-MH) measure. The OxCAP-MH is a 16-item questionnaire developed from the Capability Approach, that covers multiple domains of functioning and welfare. The aim of the current paper is to present the results of the translation, cultural adaptation and valuation of the OxCAP-MH into Juba Arabic for South Sudanese refugees living in Uganda.We adhered to the official Translation and Linguistic Validation process of the OxCAP-MH. To carry out the translation, the Concept Elaboration document, official English version of the OxCAP-MH, and the Back-Translation Review Template were used. Four independent translators were used for forward and back translations. The reconciled translated version was then piloted in two focus group discussions (N = 16) in Rhino refugee settlement. A most important to least important valuation of the sixteen capability domains covered in the OxCAP-MH was also done.ResultsThe Juba Arabic version of the OxCAP-MH was finalized following a systematic iterative process. The content of the Juba Arabic version remained unchanged, but key concepts were adapted to ensure cultural acceptability, feasibility, and comprehension of the measure in the local context of Rhino refugee settlement. Most participants had low levels of literacy and required support with filling in the tool. Participants suggested an additional capability that is currently not reflected in the OxCAP-MH, namely access to food. Furthermore, discussions around the valuation exercise of the sixteen domains led to two separate importance scales, which showed relevant differences.ConclusionsIn this context, the OxCAP-MH was considered culturally acceptable. The valuation exercise proved cognitively demanding. Participants voiced confusion over how to answer the questions on the OxCAP-MH instrument due to low levels of literacy. These concerns invite consideration for future research to consider how measures such as the OxCAP-MH can be made more accessible to individuals with low literacy rates in resource poor settings.

How Institutional Economics May Support the Analysis of Individual and Collective Capabilities

ABSTRACT The analysis in this article starts from the recognition that institutions make an important part of the Capability Approach, as conversion factors from resources to capabilities and as affecting agency. The tradition of Old Institutional Economics is critical of the neoclassical view of the individual and agency and emphasises the importance of social context. Hence, there is some common ground between the Capability Approach (CA) and Old Institutional Economics (OIE). The purpose of this article is to explore how insights from OIE might enrich the CA both conceptually and empirically. This may be done for individual capabilities as well as for collective capabilities. A better understanding of collective resource-institutions and collective agency-institutions will also contribute to the analysis of capability expansion in the community economy through collective productive capabilities in commons, cooperatives and mutuals. The conclusion is that an understanding of institutions in the tradition of OIE may help to clarify the relationships between social norms and agency; complement the notion of constrained choice with enabling institutions; and point at how institutional transformation may support individual and collective capability expansion.