The Missing Dimensions of the Human Capabilities Approach: Collective and Productive

Andreoni, Antonio; Chang, Ha-Joon; Estevez, Isabel

Abstract

In this paper we identify two missing dimensions of the Human Capabilities Approach (HCA)—the collective and the productive—and in doing so we advance a ‘productionist’ perspective on development, centred around the idea of ‘collective productive capabilities’. Bringing production back to the core of the development agenda calls for an integration of the HCA and those contributions which have focused their attention on the social, economic and institutional processes of learning, centred around productive organisations and systems. The lack of this focus on collective productive capabilities undermined the Millenium Development Goals Agenda and is still having negative impacts on the ways in which the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda is understood and implemented.

Citation

Andreoni, A., Chang, H.-J., & Estevez, I. (2021). The Missing Dimensions of the Human Capabilities Approach: Collective and Productive. The European Journal of Development Research, 33, 179-205. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00356-y

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 19, 2020
• Publication Date: Mar 5, 2021
• Deposit Date: Jan 9, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 9, 2023
• Journal: The European Journal of Development Research
• Print ISSN: 0957-8811
• Electronic ISSN: 1743-9728
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 33
• Pages: 179-205
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41287-020-00356-y
• Keywords: Human capabilities approach, Collective capabilities, Productive capabilities, Development policy, MDGS, SDGS
• Publisher URL: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1057/s41287-020-00356-y