Capability Approach Measurement

The capability approach, developed by Amartya Sen and given a concrete list-based form by Martha Nussbaum, evaluates individual well-being and social arrangements in the space of capabilities — the real freedoms people have to achieve the kinds of lives they have reason to value — rather than in the space of income, resources, or subjective utility. Measurement under the approach means identifying valued functionings, the resources and conversion factors that turn resources into functionings, and the freedom people enjoy to choose among them.