Valuing Freedoms

Friendship, knowledge of foreign groups, the ability to purchase milk and shoes, the scent of summer roses: of what interest is this type of information to economists? Sabina Alkire shows how Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen's capability approach can be coherently - and practically - put to work in poverty reduction activities. Sen argues that economic development should expand 'valuable' freedoms. Alkire probes how we identify what is valuable. Foundational issues are addressed critically - dimensions of development, practical reason, culture, basic needs - drawing on Thomist authors who give central place to authentic participation. A participatory procedure for identifying capability change is then developed. Case studies of three Oxfam activities in Pakistan - goat-rearing, female literacy, and rose cultivation - illustrate this novel approach. "Valuing Freedoms" will be of considerable interest to economists, philosophers, development practitioners, and theologians, as well as to followers of Sen's work.

ISBN 0199283311   Pages 356 ISBN13 9780199283316 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Oxford University Press   Weight (grammes) 511 Imprint Oxford University Press   Published in Oxford Format Paperback   Series title Queen Elizabeth House Series in Development Studies Publication date 17 Mar 2005   Height (mm) 234 Library of Congress HB99.3   Width (mm) 156 DEWEY 338.9   Spine width (mm) 19 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Professional / Scholarly

1		Introduction : capability and valuation		1
2		Poverty and human development		25
3		Range, information, and process		85
4		Participation and culture		125
5		Basic needs and basic capabilities		154
6		Assessing capability change		199
7		Three case studies		233

"Sabina Alkire has written an insightful, ambitious and stimulating book on Amartya Sen's capability approach and poverty reductions. Illustrates nicely how philosophical reasoning may influence practical choices." - IDEA

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