Wellbeing, Freedom and Social Justice The Capability Approach Re-Examined, 2017a
Wellbeing, Freedom and Social Justice The Capability Approach Re-Examined, 2017a
Wellbeing, Freedom and Social Justice The Capability Approach Re-Examined, 2017a
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3. Clarifications<br />
113<br />
<br />
In the previous chapter, it was already highlighted that diversity among<br />
human beings is a key motivation as well as a conceptual characteristic<br />
of the capability approach (module B3). Given how central human<br />
diversity is to the approach, it is worth saying a few more words on this<br />
topic. <strong>The</strong>re are two important points to make: first, the mechanisms that<br />
the capability approach has at its disposal to account for diversity, <strong>and</strong><br />
second, the attention given to diversity within the existing capability<br />
literature.<br />
<strong>The</strong> capability approach takes account of human diversity in at<br />
least two ways. First, by its focus on the plurality of functionings <strong>and</strong><br />
capabilities as important evaluative spaces. By including a wide range<br />
of dimensions in the conceptualization of wellbeing <strong>and</strong> wellbeing<br />
outcomes, the approach broadens the so-called ‘informational basis’<br />
of assessments, <strong>and</strong> thereby includes some dimensions that may<br />
be particularly important for some groups but less so for others. For<br />
example, in st<strong>and</strong>ard outcome assessments, women as a group virtually<br />
always end up being worse off than men. But if the selection of outcome<br />
dimensions is shifted to also include the quality <strong>and</strong> quantity of social<br />
relations <strong>and</strong> support, <strong>and</strong> being able to engage in h<strong>and</strong>s-on care, then<br />
the normative assessment of gender inequality becomes less univocal<br />
<strong>and</strong> requires much further argument <strong>and</strong> normative analysis, including<br />
being explicit about how to aggregate different dimensions (Robeyns<br />
2003, 2006a).<br />
Secondly, human diversity is stressed in the capability approach by<br />
the explicit focus on personal <strong>and</strong> socio-environmental conversion factors<br />
that make possible the conversion of commodities <strong>and</strong> other resources<br />
into functionings, <strong>and</strong> on the social, institutional, <strong>and</strong> environmental<br />
contexts that affect the conversion factors <strong>and</strong> the capability set directly.<br />
Each individual has a unique profile of conversion factors, some of<br />
which are body-related, while others are shared with all people from her<br />
community, <strong>and</strong> still others are shared with people with the same social<br />
characteristics (e.g. same gender, class, caste, age, or race characteristics).<br />
In the account of the capability approach presented in chapter 2, this<br />
is made very explicit by having module A3 focus on the conversion<br />
factors, which is an important source of interpersonal variations (the<br />
other source is how structural constraints affect people differently). As