Misunderstandings of Capability Approach: Towards Paradigm Pluralism
Keywords:
Capability, measurement, operationalization, framework, positivism, interpretivism, paradigm
Abstract
Capability approach figures among the most prominent approaches of social science disciplines. One reason for this is that in a world plagued by daunting inequalities and repressions the term capability presents a whole host of potentials. Another reason is that the failures or shortcomings encountered in development studies the last several decades have created something of a vogue for capability approach both in academia and industry. In the meantime, however, capability approach represents one of the most misunderstood and misused approaches of modern day times. One most pervasive misunderstanding or misuse comes with the idea that capability approach is unable to provide a definite, exhaustive list of capabilities nor to achieve measurable units of development. This idea is further compounded by the fact that Sen (1999, 2009) himself the originator of capability approach has invariably dismissed the discussions concerned with list and measurability. The present paper aimed to highlight the core nature of capability approach, while dispelling the misunderstandings surrounding it. Content analysis was conducted to appraise how capability approach was presented. Sen works were thus perused in light of a wider social science literature, with a focus on methodology. This is mainly because development studies are an interdisciplinary field. In so doing the paper was able to reposition capability approach as an interpretive, qualitative approach. It was thus found that authors continue to misuse and view capability approach through the lens of quantitative research. It was also found that interpretivism is by no means defined or evaluated based on the ability to supply a list of specific items and the measurability thereof. The paper suggested some paths for future research.
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Smith, J. M. (2005a). Empiricism, idealism, realism. In: M.J. Smith (Ed.), Philosophy and methodology of the social sciences. Vol. 4: Reinventing the social sciences: Towards a post disciplinary future (pp. 319367). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Smith, J. M. (2005b). Knowing, the known and knowledge of the social. In: M.J. Smith (Ed.), Philosophy and methodology of the social sciences. Vol. 4: Reinventing the social sciences: Towards a postdisciplinary future (pp. xvii-xli). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Sotos, C. E. A., Vanhoof, S., Van den Noortgate, W. & Onghena, P. (2007). Students’ misconceptions of statistical inference: A review of the empirical evidence from research on statistics education. Educational Research Review, 2(2), 98-113. Sustainable Development Goals. (2015). Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300 The Millennium Development Goals. (2000). Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/events/pastevents/millennium_summit.shtml Tiwari, M. (2017). Exploring the role of the capability approach in social innovation. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 18(2), 181-196. Tracy, J. S. (2010). Qualitative quality: Eight “Big-Tent†criteria for excellent qualitative research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(10), 837-851. Tracy, J. S. (2013). Qualitative research methods: Collecting evidence, crafting analysis, and communicating impact. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. van der Mark, J. E., Conradie, I., Dedding, W. M. C. & Broerse, W. E. J. (2017). How poverty shapes caring for a disabled child: A narrative literature review. Journal of International Development, 29(8), 1187-1206. Van der Tuin, I. (2013). Non-reductive continental naturalism in the contemporary humanities: Working with Hélène Metzger’s philosophical reflections. History of the Human Sciences, 26(2), 88-105. Venkatapuram, S. (2011). Health justice: An argument from the capabilities approach. Cambridge, MA: Polity. Venkatapuram, S. (2014). Mental disability, human rights and the capabilities approach: Searching for the foundations. International Review of Psychiatry, 26(4), 408-414. Vicari, S. (2014). The co-operative as institution for human development: The case study of Coppalj, a primary co-operative in Brazil. Journal of International Development, 26(5), 683-700. Walker, M. & Unterhalter, E. (2007). The capability approach: Its potential for work in education. In M. Walker & E. Unterhalter (Eds.), Amartya Sen's capability approach and social justice in education (pp. 1-18). New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan. Wallach, W. (2015). A dangerous master: How to keep technology from slipping beyond our control. New York, NY: Basic Books. Weber, M. (1949). Critical studies in the logic of the cultural sciences: A critique of Eduard Meyer’s methodological views. In E. Shils & H.A. Finch (Eds.), Max Weber on the methodology of the social sciences (pp. 113-188). New York, NY: The Free Press. Weber, M. (2002). Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft: Grundniβ der verstehende Soziologie (fünfte, revidierte Auflage besorgt von Johannes Winckelmann). Tübingen, Germany: Mohr Siebeck. (Original work published 1921) Welche Thiere gleichen einander am moisten, (1892). Fliegende Blätter, 17(2465), 147. Wittgenstein, L. (1958). Philosophical investigations (with the German text, 2nd ed., G.E.M. Anscombe, Trans.). Oxford, UK: Basil Blackwell. (Original work published 1953).
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2018-08-29
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Cibangu, S. K. (2018). Misunderstandings of Capability Approach: Towards Paradigm Pluralism. Journal of Social and Development Sciences, 9(2), 54-72. https://doi.org/10.22610/jsds.v9i2.2381
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