Sen’s Capabilities Approach and the Measurement of Communication Outcomes

Abstract

Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach to development defines development as an increase in freedoms citizens have to choose preferred development options. While Sen’s more recent writings are theoretical and philosophical his work was originally based in social choice theory, which comprises a tradition in quantifying and analyzing collective preferences, or choices among preferences. This article argues that such aggregation procedures can be useful in research devoted to communication for development (C4D). They can be employed in evaluating the outcomes of processes intended to facilitate participation in decision making, in both small and large-scale project settings.