Pub Date : 2023-05-24DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2214725
S. Subramanian
ABSTRACT This paper considers the distribution of mortality across social groups classified by caste, gender and sector of origin in India in the mid-2010s: as such, the essay is intended to be both a methodological/measurement-oriented study and a substantive empirical assessment of an important dimension of human functioning in India. The analysis is carried out employing micro-data on the age-distributions of population and death-rates available in the National Family Health Survey of 2015–16 (NFHS-4). Mortality in the paper is measured in terms of the crude death rate, an indicator of “inefficiency” in the age-distribution of deaths, and an “age-adjusted” death rate which takes account of both the mean and the dispersion of a distribution. The last-mentioned indicator is taken to be the preferred measure of mortality. The analysis in the paper suggests that mortality outcomes across castes replicate the caste hierarchy and that there is a sharp rural-urban divide in the distribution of death. Mortality sex-ratios are found to be relatively more favourable for the lower than the higher castes. The results presented in the paper are not unexpected, but they provide quantitative confirmation of one's worst suspicions regarding the skewed distribution of mortality across social groups in India.
{"title":"The Incidence and Age Distribution of Death: Mortality by Caste, Gender, and Sector of Origin in India in the Mid-2010s","authors":"S. Subramanian","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2214725","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2214725","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper considers the distribution of mortality across social groups classified by caste, gender and sector of origin in India in the mid-2010s: as such, the essay is intended to be both a methodological/measurement-oriented study and a substantive empirical assessment of an important dimension of human functioning in India. The analysis is carried out employing micro-data on the age-distributions of population and death-rates available in the National Family Health Survey of 2015–16 (NFHS-4). Mortality in the paper is measured in terms of the crude death rate, an indicator of “inefficiency” in the age-distribution of deaths, and an “age-adjusted” death rate which takes account of both the mean and the dispersion of a distribution. The last-mentioned indicator is taken to be the preferred measure of mortality. The analysis in the paper suggests that mortality outcomes across castes replicate the caste hierarchy and that there is a sharp rural-urban divide in the distribution of death. Mortality sex-ratios are found to be relatively more favourable for the lower than the higher castes. The results presented in the paper are not unexpected, but they provide quantitative confirmation of one's worst suspicions regarding the skewed distribution of mortality across social groups in India.","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"375 - 400"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46213141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-05-10DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2209027
Wouter J. Rijke, J. Meerman, B. Bloemen, S. Venkatapuram, J. V. D. van der Klink, G. J. van der Wilt
ABSTRACT Researchers seeking to assess the impact of a program on the capability of its target audience face numerous methodological challenges. The purpose of our review was to see to what extent such challenges are recognised and what choices researchers made in order to address them, and why. We identified 3354 studies by searching five databases in addition to cross-checking references from selected studies. A total of 71 studies met our pre-defined selection criteria: empirical studies reporting data on how interventions impacted the beneficiaries’ capability, providing sufficient detail on how impact was measured, in English language. Four independent raters assessed those studies on four domains: descriptive information, consideration of causal attribution, operationalisation of capability, and interpretation of findings. Challenges related to capability impact assessment were not widely explicitly acknowledged, and available measures to address these challenges were not being used routinely. Major weaknesses included little attention to causal attribution, infrequent justification of the specific content of capability, and failure to research the constitutive elements of capability and their interactions. Research into a program’s impact on the capability of its recipients is challenging for several reasons, but options are available to further improve the quality of this type of research.
{"title":"Strategies for Researching Programs’ Impact on Capability: A Scoping Review","authors":"Wouter J. Rijke, J. Meerman, B. Bloemen, S. Venkatapuram, J. V. D. van der Klink, G. J. van der Wilt","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2209027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2209027","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Researchers seeking to assess the impact of a program on the capability of its target audience face numerous methodological challenges. The purpose of our review was to see to what extent such challenges are recognised and what choices researchers made in order to address them, and why. We identified 3354 studies by searching five databases in addition to cross-checking references from selected studies. A total of 71 studies met our pre-defined selection criteria: empirical studies reporting data on how interventions impacted the beneficiaries’ capability, providing sufficient detail on how impact was measured, in English language. Four independent raters assessed those studies on four domains: descriptive information, consideration of causal attribution, operationalisation of capability, and interpretation of findings. Challenges related to capability impact assessment were not widely explicitly acknowledged, and available measures to address these challenges were not being used routinely. Major weaknesses included little attention to causal attribution, infrequent justification of the specific content of capability, and failure to research the constitutive elements of capability and their interactions. Research into a program’s impact on the capability of its recipients is challenging for several reasons, but options are available to further improve the quality of this type of research.","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"401 - 423"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-05-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44614565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2200239
Camila Rasse, María-Paola Sevilla
ABSTRACT The capability approach provides a broader view of Vocational and Technical Education (VTE), acknowledging its multiple purposes, including citizenship preparation for discussing and challenging the rules and practices prevailing in society. Based on ethnographic data, this paper seeks to understand how two Chilean high schools conceptualise their students and VTE, concerning their students’ marginalisation, linking this to citizenship education. Each school presented a different awareness of students’ marginality situation, and it was possible to observe how this meant different actions associated with citizenship education. Findings show that in the school with greater awareness of students’ marginality, VTE takes elements from the capability approach and provides active citizenship training, while at the school with lower awareness of marginality, students are trained in more passive citizenship. The importance of citizenship education for VTE, the significance of the capability approach to transforming this education, and its potential impact on public policies and the construction of society are discussed.
{"title":"Marginality and Citizenship Education in Secondary Vocational and Technical Education (VTE). A Vision from the Capability Approach","authors":"Camila Rasse, María-Paola Sevilla","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2200239","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2200239","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The capability approach provides a broader view of Vocational and Technical Education (VTE), acknowledging its multiple purposes, including citizenship preparation for discussing and challenging the rules and practices prevailing in society. Based on ethnographic data, this paper seeks to understand how two Chilean high schools conceptualise their students and VTE, concerning their students’ marginalisation, linking this to citizenship education. Each school presented a different awareness of students’ marginality situation, and it was possible to observe how this meant different actions associated with citizenship education. Findings show that in the school with greater awareness of students’ marginality, VTE takes elements from the capability approach and provides active citizenship training, while at the school with lower awareness of marginality, students are trained in more passive citizenship. The importance of citizenship education for VTE, the significance of the capability approach to transforming this education, and its potential impact on public policies and the construction of society are discussed.","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"234 - 252"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45006383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2200240
Danny L. Talbot
ABSTRACT The Capabilities Approach and the movement to Decolonise the Curriculum contain powerful intellectual and practical possibilities for changing the way societies conceive of education and its purpose. The former presents a bold set of educational aims offering an alternative to market-driven human capital approaches. The latter seeks to undo the legacy of colonialism that still echoes through classrooms across the world. Yet, despite potential affinities, little work exists exploring the compatibility of their respective theoretical commitments. This article argues that, behind the label Decolonise the Curriculum, lies a spectrum of approaches that, at their polar ends, risk becoming counterproductive in the search for educational justice. Articulating a version of Decolonising the Curriculum that avoids these pitfalls can be achieved through the theoretical insights of the Capabilities Approach and, in particular, the writings of its architects, Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum.
{"title":"Knowledge, Knowers, and Capabilities: Can the Capabilities Approach Help Decolonise the Curriculum?","authors":"Danny L. Talbot","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2200240","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2200240","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The Capabilities Approach and the movement to Decolonise the Curriculum contain powerful intellectual and practical possibilities for changing the way societies conceive of education and its purpose. The former presents a bold set of educational aims offering an alternative to market-driven human capital approaches. The latter seeks to undo the legacy of colonialism that still echoes through classrooms across the world. Yet, despite potential affinities, little work exists exploring the compatibility of their respective theoretical commitments. This article argues that, behind the label Decolonise the Curriculum, lies a spectrum of approaches that, at their polar ends, risk becoming counterproductive in the search for educational justice. Articulating a version of Decolonising the Curriculum that avoids these pitfalls can be achieved through the theoretical insights of the Capabilities Approach and, in particular, the writings of its architects, Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum.","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"216 - 233"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49041089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2200241
S. Khoo
ABSTRACT This paper responds to the UNDP 2022 Special Report on Human Security in the Anthropocene (hereafter ‘UNDP Special Report’, UNDP 2022), and HDCA Human Security Thematic Group’s sessions at the 2022 HDCA Antwerp conference, focused on interrogating the ‘soul’ of the human security concept. In order to facilitate the practical implementation of human security principles, I offer six integrative suggestions for a convergent view that reinforces human security’s emancipatory critical and transformative potential, substantiating the UNDP Special Report’s demand for greater solidarity: i) recalling the Stockholm Conference’s agenda for global solidarity; ii) drawing on emancipatory legacies of established social movements; iii) applying differentiated measures to address vulnerability; iv) learning from indigenous and local insights on ‘coordination’ that emphasize relationality; v) decentralizing policy and practice; and, vi) An integrative perspective deepening the ‘humane’ interpretation of human security, taking on the Ogata-Sen recommendations for integrated policies, jointly emphasizing survival, livelihood and dignity. Keywords: Human security; Anthropocene; human development; UNDP Special Report 2022; Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment; Ogata-Sen Commission on Human Security.
{"title":"Humane Security: Solidarity in Policy and Practice","authors":"S. Khoo","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2200241","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2200241","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This paper responds to the UNDP 2022 Special Report on Human Security in the Anthropocene (hereafter ‘UNDP Special Report’, UNDP 2022), and HDCA Human Security Thematic Group’s sessions at the 2022 HDCA Antwerp conference, focused on interrogating the ‘soul’ of the human security concept. In order to facilitate the practical implementation of human security principles, I offer six integrative suggestions for a convergent view that reinforces human security’s emancipatory critical and transformative potential, substantiating the UNDP Special Report’s demand for greater solidarity: i) recalling the Stockholm Conference’s agenda for global solidarity; ii) drawing on emancipatory legacies of established social movements; iii) applying differentiated measures to address vulnerability; iv) learning from indigenous and local insights on ‘coordination’ that emphasize relationality; v) decentralizing policy and practice; and, vi) An integrative perspective deepening the ‘humane’ interpretation of human security, taking on the Ogata-Sen recommendations for integrated policies, jointly emphasizing survival, livelihood and dignity. Keywords: Human security; Anthropocene; human development; UNDP Special Report 2022; Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment; Ogata-Sen Commission on Human Security.","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"284 - 293"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48708794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2196061
M. Biggeri, Heriberto Tapia
ABSTRACT The idea of “human security” is gaining a new round of attention in the academic and policy agenda, as a new era of global changes is affecting people’s core capabilities. In this Policy Forum the “human security lens” engages with human development and the capability approach. It presents different perspectives of genuine action-oriented human security, and it aims to provide valuable insights for policy issues and recommendations in the current context of interlinked threats. This Policy Forum aims to help relaunching the debate on policy interventions for human security within the capability approach.
{"title":"Human Security in the Anthropocene: A New Base for Action","authors":"M. Biggeri, Heriberto Tapia","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2196061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2196061","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT The idea of “human security” is gaining a new round of attention in the academic and policy agenda, as a new era of global changes is affecting people’s core capabilities. In this Policy Forum the “human security lens” engages with human development and the capability approach. It presents different perspectives of genuine action-oriented human security, and it aims to provide valuable insights for policy issues and recommendations in the current context of interlinked threats. This Policy Forum aims to help relaunching the debate on policy interventions for human security within the capability approach.","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"253 - 262"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41853430","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2200238
K. Sollis
ABSTRACT Research and policy based on the Capability Approach inherently seeks to improve the lives of individuals and communities in a meaningful way. One operationalisation of this is the development of participatory wellbeing frameworks, which ask communities “what does wellbeing mean to you?”. However, there has so far been very little understanding on the extent to which participatory wellbeing frameworks, and the Capability Approach more generally, have achieved meaningful impact. This study fills this gap by investigating the research and policy impacts achieved through participatory wellbeing studies. Drawing on a key informant study with 16 individuals who have undertaken participatory wellbeing studies in numerous contexts, this paper provides an initial insight into the extent to which such studies have achieved impact, and the barriers and enablers in doing so. The results highlight that while relatively few participatory wellbeing studies have directly impacted programmes, practice or policy, achieving indirect impacts such as greater awareness amongst policymakers, and starting a dialogue in the community, was commonplace. Process was found to be of great importance in achieving impact, highlighting that researchers and practitioners should ensure appropriate consultation processes are in place, and dedicate time and resources to dissemination and engagement. In particular, research partnerships were found to be particularly advantageous. While informants noted substantial barriers to achieving impact outside their control, the study highlights a number of enablers those undertaking work in this space can draw upon to achieve greater impact into the future.
{"title":"Participatory Wellbeing Frameworks and the Secret to Impact","authors":"K. Sollis","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2200238","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2200238","url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT Research and policy based on the Capability Approach inherently seeks to improve the lives of individuals and communities in a meaningful way. One operationalisation of this is the development of participatory wellbeing frameworks, which ask communities “what does wellbeing mean to you?”. However, there has so far been very little understanding on the extent to which participatory wellbeing frameworks, and the Capability Approach more generally, have achieved meaningful impact. This study fills this gap by investigating the research and policy impacts achieved through participatory wellbeing studies. Drawing on a key informant study with 16 individuals who have undertaken participatory wellbeing studies in numerous contexts, this paper provides an initial insight into the extent to which such studies have achieved impact, and the barriers and enablers in doing so. The results highlight that while relatively few participatory wellbeing studies have directly impacted programmes, practice or policy, achieving indirect impacts such as greater awareness amongst policymakers, and starting a dialogue in the community, was commonplace. Process was found to be of great importance in achieving impact, highlighting that researchers and practitioners should ensure appropriate consultation processes are in place, and dedicate time and resources to dissemination and engagement. In particular, research partnerships were found to be particularly advantageous. While informants noted substantial barriers to achieving impact outside their control, the study highlights a number of enablers those undertaking work in this space can draw upon to achieve greater impact into the future.","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"163 - 193"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44871489","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2199528
K. Schewel
{"title":"Migration, Development and Social Change in the Himalayas: An Ethnographic Village Study","authors":"K. Schewel","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2199528","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2199528","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"307 - 308"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47801332","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-03DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2199527
Lori Keleher
{"title":"Citadels of Pride: Sexual Assault, Accountability, and Reconciliation","authors":"Lori Keleher","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2199527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2199527","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"24 1","pages":"305 - 306"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5,"publicationDate":"2023-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43224663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-01DOI: 10.1080/19452829.2023.2172659
Georges Quist
{"title":"Inclusive Financial Development","authors":"Georges Quist","doi":"10.1080/19452829.2023.2172659","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2023.2172659","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46538,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Human Development and Capabilities","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136167003","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}