Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti

The Capability Approach: Complexity and vagueness in the capability approach: strengths or weaknesses?

So far as laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain. And so far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality. (Albert Einstein 1922) All traditional logic habitually assumes that precise symbols are being employed. It is therefore not applicable to this terrestrial life but only to an imagined celestial existence [… .] logic takes us nearer to heaven than most other studies. (Russell 1923, pp. 88–9) All economists know the economy is complex – very complex. That is one of the reasons why society needs economists – to try to make that complexity somewhat simpler and more understandable. (Colander 2000, p. 1) Introduction Concepts of poverty and well-being, like many – probably most – issues and phenomena relating to the human sciences are intrinsically complex and vague, though no more so than crucial economic concepts such as utility, rationality, or recession. This is largely due to the fact that they involve a plurality of interrelated variables, dimensions, and spaces with no clear-cut boundaries between them. While both common sense and some of the social sciences (sociology and psychology in particular) plainly acknowledge the intrinsically complex and vague nature of poverty and well-being, the same cannot be said for economics. Only infrequently mentioned, rarely acknowledged at the foundational level, almost always feared and avoided from an empirical point of view, complexity and vagueness are often perceived in economic analysis as elements of weakness within a theoretical framework, and potential obstacles to its operationalization.

Integrating Human Capital and Human Capabilities in Understanding the Value of Education

The aim of this chapter is to investigate the possibility of combining human capital theory (HCT) and the capability approach (CA) in order to better understand and measure both the instrumental and the intrinsic values of education for individuals, and to trace its relative spillover effects on societies. HCT, pioneered by Schultz and Becker in the early 1970s, has since become an important part of the debate on economic growth and development. Recently, HCT has been criticised for the narrow instrumental role that it assigns to education (inasmuch as HCT disregards some of important non-material aspects of education), as well as for its inability to satisfactorily reflect the cultural, gender-based, emotional and historical differences that can influence educational choices and individual well-being.

The Capability Approach: A Framework for Population Studies

The aim of this paper is to present the main elements of the Capability Approach (CA) and discuss how and to what extent it can be a useful framework for capturing and analyzing population issues. Since the initial idea of Sen in 1979 to introduce the notion of human “capabilities” as a coherent alternative to measuring poverty, an extensive interdisciplinary school of thought has developed an analytical and normative framework that is outlined here in the first section. After introducing the CA, we sketch out a step-by-step procedure to use the CA in empirical analysis, focusing on the linkages among the plurality of circumstances at the individual, household and contextual levels. The fourth section discusses the approach shared by the CA and the population paradigm as formulated at the Cairo conference, which shifted away from aggregate indicators and biological functionings to a focus on choice and capabilities.

Creating (Economic) Space for Social Innovation

1: Alex Nicholls and Rafael Ziegler: The Extended Social Grid Model Part One 2: Risto Heiskala: Social Innovation, Power, and Marginalization 3: Rafael Ziegler and Nadia von Jacobi: Creating Fair (Economic) Space for Social Innovation? A Capabilities Perspective 4: Georg Mildenberger, Gudrun-Christine Schimpf, Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti, and Nadia von Jacobi: Empirical Approaches to Social Innovation Part Two 5: Gudrun-Christine Schimpf, Georg Mildenberger, Susanne Giesecke, and Attila Havas: Trajectories of Social Innovation: Housing for All? 6: Gudrun-Christine Schimpf and Rafael Ziegler: Trajectories of Social Innovation: Water For All? 7: Gyoergy Molnar and Attila Havas: Trajectories of Social Innovation: Tackling Marginalisation with a Complex Approach 8: Martijn Jeroen van der Linden: Trajectories of Social Innovation: Education 9: Lara Maestripieri: Creating Alternative Economic Spaces. The Socially Innovative Practices of Solidarity Purchasing Groups 10: Nadia von Jacobi, Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti, Rafael Ziegler, Martijn van der Linden and Cees van Beers: Social Innovation and Agency 11: Alex Nicholls and Daniel Edmiston: Social Innovation Policy in the European Union 12: Alex Nicholls and Daniel Edmiston: Public Policy As Social Innovation: Social Impact Bonds Part Three 13: Rafael Ziegler, Alex Nicholls, Jari Aro, Cees van Beers, Enrica Chiappero-Marinetti, Daniel Edmiston, Attila Havas, Risto Heiskala, Nadia von Jacobi, Klaus Kubczenko, Martijn Jeroen van der Lin den , Lara Maestripieri, Georg Mildenberger, Gyoergy Molnar, and Gudrun-Christine Schimpf: The Extended Social Grid Model Revisited 14: C.W.M. (Ro) Naastepad: Capital and Capacities: Using Capital to Create Economic Space for Capacities 15: Alex Nicholls, Nadia von Jacobi, Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti, and Georg Mildenberger: The Impact of Social Innovation 16: Nadia von Jacobi, Alex Nicholls, Daniel Edmiston, Attila Havas, Klaus Kubeczko, Gyoergy Molnar, Georg Mildenberger, and Gudrun Schimpf: Social Innovation Policy

Light and Shade of Multidimensional Indexes

The aim of this chapter is to discuss and measure the impact on results of three main methodological assumptions in the construction of multidimensional indexes of poverty and well-being – namely, the transformation function, the aggregation procedure and the weighting system chosen. The empirical analysis is based on Jordan DHS (2002, 2007) datasets and integrated by a fieldwork conducted on a sample of students and development experts for eliciting information related to the relative weights attached to several well-being domains considered (education, health, housing, employment and personal security). A robustness analysis has been conducted quantifying the relative and global impact of different combinations of these three methodological choices on poverty estimates both at national and sub-national level.

Social Innovation, Individuals and Societies: An Empirical Investigation of Multi-layered Effects

ABSTRACT Empirical investigation of social innovation and its effects is a much under-explored terrain. Difficulties range from the conceptual complexity of social innovation processes to empirical implementation. This study applies a conceptual framework (ESGM) that envisages multi-layered effects of social innovation on individuals and societies. It analyzes subjective, primary data to compare three different European cases, proposing an empirical strategy to capture their effects. Perceptions of participants report improvements in autonomy and that social innovations mainly produce intangible outcomes such as knowledge and personal relationships, which are unlikely to be captured in synthetic measures such as average effects or money metrics.

Operationalisation of the Capability Approach

The holistic and multilayered structure offered by the Capability Approach makes this theoretical framework particularly suitable for conceptualising and contextualising complex socioeconomic phenomena. However, several challenging issues on how to operationalise it are inevitably raised. Extensive and growing empirical applications of the Capability Approach in many fields of investigation show that researchers can meet many of the challenges posed by this approach by adopting various empirical strategies and technical solutions. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the recent empirical literature on capabilities, labour markets and education in Europe, using examples from recent European projects inspired by, or based on, the Capability Approach and offering interesting examples for those who wish to make use of this approach for future investigation in this field.

Human Development and Economic Growth

Human development and economic growth are two different paradigms that imply different objectives, measurement techniques, and policies. However, a broad literature has shown that economic growth and human development are intrinsically interconnected, co-evolutionary, and mutually reinforcing each other. The key aim of this chapter is to discuss and compare these two paradigms and outline their elements of specificity as well as their potential linkages. In particular, a review of potential linkages between human development and economic growth highlights their bidirectionality, both in theory and in terms of policy implications. In addition to the main theories, some empirical evidence is also being presented. Finally, specific sections are devoted to policy implications and specificities of transition countries.

Theorizing Social Innovation to Address Marginalization

ABSTRACT Social innovation has increasingly been referred to as a potential driver for – transformative and disruptive -- social change because it offers the potential to provide solutions to social needs that the current institutional status quo neglects or only partially attends to. In this introduction to the special issue on social innovation and marginalisation, the editors provide an overview of the theoretical framework, with which the two phenomena can be put into connection. It introduces the Extended Social Grid Model, in which an institutionalist perspective on social forces can be combined with the capability approach that puts human agency at its core.

Social Innovation and the Capability Approach—Introduction to the Special Issue

We are pleased to share with this special issue the first multi-authored discussion of social innovation and the capability approach. It includes eight research articles as well as three policy bri...