Capable and Occupied: How the Capabilities Approach Can Enrich the “Occupation” Discourse

The Capabilities Approach (CA) is positioned broadly in the traditional schools of thought of social justice as well as human rights. However, it also firmly states that it is an “approach”: a framework that aims to provide a space and a lexicon that encourages policy discussions and dilemmas linked to the operationalization of values of equality and equity. In the 1979 Tanner Lectures, Amartya Sen, the originator of the approach, asked the fundamental question, “Equality of what?" (Sen, 1979), as an invitation to consider values and entitlements with a specific focus on questions of social justice. In the 1990s, Sen, alongside another economist, Mahbub ul Haq, proposed the Human Development Report (HDR) to be published each year to gauge the progress that has been made in development. The aim was to contest neoliberal utilitarian views that posit economic growth as the goal or end of development, with human progress being a means to achieve monetary gains. The utilitarian perspective presented economic indicators, such as the gross domestic product (GDP), as the main yardstick to establish a ranking of individuals or nations. The HDR contended that people should be at the center of development and that questions of equality should be assessed in considerations of progress. Recognizing that to counter the GDP there is a need for a quantifiable and qualifiable measure, the HDR presented the Human Development Index, which is composed of both a measure of economic growth and also a measure of health and education to take into account issues of equality. However, Sen also strongly advocated for the need to engage in complex discussions around human flourishing and well-being through critical dialogue and debate. As a result, the literature around the CA, its relevance, and its operationalization have been ongoing in bodies such as the Human Development and Capabilities Association, as well as in international policies and programs. In the past 5 years, the OXFAM (2019) annual report has documented in stark numbers the yawning chasm between the increasingly deprived majority and the minuscule group controlling global economic wealth. The relevance of the CA is indisputable in addressing basic inequities (in health and education) as well as the new challenges that must be addressed, such as climate chaos.