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Scitovsky meets Sen: endogenising the dynamics of capability

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  • Maurizio Pugno

Abstract

Sen’s ‘capability approach’ is especially focused on human development as freedom from deprivations, while Scitovsky’s The Joyless Economy is focused on how people can expand their internal capability endogenously by enjoying learning as a socially embedded process. This paper uses the complementarity between the two authors to build a comprehensive dynamic approach to people’s ‘functionings and capabilities’. Different groups of ‘functionings’ are thus characterised by their different patterns of development in interaction with the resources available and the social context. As a result, Sen’s problems of evaluating ‘functionings’ and measuring ‘capability’ can be alleviated; harmful functionings can be predicted; children’s welfare can be better evaluated; and Sen’s definitions of ‘capability’, ‘agency’ and ‘well-being’ can be refined.

Suggested Citation

  • Maurizio Pugno, 2017. "Scitovsky meets Sen: endogenising the dynamics of capability," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 41(4), pages 1177-1196.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:cambje:v:41:y:2017:i:4:p:1177-1196.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/cje/bew050
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    Cited by:

    1. Pugno, Maurizio, 2020. "Enjoying life takes time and needs people, but economic progress runs and offers things," MPRA Paper 104378, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Amartya Sen; Capability approach; Tibor Scitovsky; Novelty; Intrinsic motivations; Learning;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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