The Capability Approach to human development was developed in the 1980’s as a way to look at development beyond economic measures. One of the pioneers of this approach was Amartya Sen who based his philosophies off the idea that development was too complex for there to be a single way to advance a society and improve the lives of everyone in it. His research focused on societal inequalities, yet he views poverty and underdeveloped communities as a consequence of capability deprivations rather than solely economic factors. Martha Nussbaum is another major contributor to the capability approach; however, her philosophy is rooted in ten explicitly stated central capabilities needed for development. Satisfying these capabilities, which are physical, social, and, emotional, can be a way to achieve justice. Sen and Nussbaum have formed the two major schools of thought in the human development and capabilities field. In the module, we look at the ideas of Sen, Nussbaum, and other scholars in the field to better understand development from a human perspective.
Human Rights-based Approach:
The Human Rights-based approach to global development, a subset to the Capability Approach, aims to ensure that human rights are considered and respected when a country undergoes development. In 1948, the first international manuscript that outlines fundamental human rights was published by the United Nations (UN). This document was called the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and merely outlined standards for human rights from an international perspective. This declaration consists of 30 articles, setting forth fundamental human rights such as equality before the law, protection from cruel punishment, the right to leisure, and many more. While the Universal Declaration of Human Rights established a list of rights that should be guaranteed to the public, it didn’t have any direct application to global development. In 1997, the UN underwent a reform which switched their stance from a “basic needs” approach to the Human Rights-based approach. This effectively switched the focus of global development from the beneficiaries to the general human population. In 2003, the UN Common Understanding on a Human-Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to Development Cooperation was adopted, which officially put the focus on the people. In this document, the UN sets forth elements that ensure proper consideration of human rights when developing a nation. Some of these elements include the simple recognition of human rights as a goal of global development rather than just a supporting factor. Other elements include recognizing the people as key actors, “locally owned” development, situation analysis, and using human rights as a guide.