This dissertation analyses the contribution that Amartya Sen’s idea of justice can make to inform development policies. Particularly, it examines to what extent Sen succeeds in presenting a useful theoretical framework for orienting political action towards justice-enhancing change. In The Idea of Justice (2009), Sen argues that ideal theories of justice which aim at identifying the nature of a perfectly just society—what he calls ‘transcendental’ theories—are not appropriate either for examining prevalent injustices or for rectifying them. Sen therefore proposes a ‘comparative framework’ of justice capable of providing useful practical guidance to advance justice or reduce injustice, a task for which ‘transcendental’ Rawlsian-like theories are redundant. This dissertation critically assesses these two claims advanced by Sen. Taking John Rawls’ Theory of Justice as an illustration, it argues that ideal theories are indeed essential, even if not sufficient, for the reduction of injustice. Therefore, it advances that it is necessary to complement ideal and nonideal approaches to justice. It then advocates for a ‘dual Rawlsian/Senian framework’. Yet this dissertation argues that, even if coupled with an ideal theory, Sen’s nonideal theory remains insufficient to orient injustice-reduction actions because it fails to take into account the overarching social nature of injustice and its perpetuation. In the light of this shortcoming, this dissertation stresses the need to conceptualise injustice as something different from simply the lack of justice and to understand it in a more dynamic and relational way. Ultimately, this implies further complementing a dual framework with a broader conceptualisation of injustice. The dissertation illustrates this argument with the social policy of Oportunidades in Mexico. It concludes that, in order to create a more just society, injustice-reduction policies need to go beyond the removal of capability-deprivations and address the ways in which injustice is reproduced through social interactions.

The ‘’capability approach’’, developed by the Indian economist Amartya Sen, has been widely used in the field of development and has contributed a perception of development that is different from the traditional understanding of it. Despite this, the theory has received a great amount of feminist critique and it has been concluded that the field lacks empirical data on how women in developing countries can be fully understood from the approach of Sen. This field study aims at filling this gap of empirical data as well as to examine how well Sen’s approach can contribute to the understanding of women in a developing context. Responses such as the one of Martha Nussbaum and other feminist critique of Sen is examined using a field study on poor women conducted in the state of Karnataka, India. The collection of data has been conducted through interviews with urban poor women as well as with women working with women empowerment at a local organization. Participant observation in the field has been complementary to the interviews. This study reveals that Sen’s capability approach is incomplete to some extent in order to understand the situation of women in a developing context. This lack of understanding is further completed with Nussbaum’s work. Finally, the modern feminist critique against both Sen and Nussbaum shows a lack of analysis in them both in terms of intersectionality and power.

O presente trabalho desenvolve um modelo capaz de descrever preferências dependentes de contexto, buscando superar as limitações impostas pela abordagem da preferência revelada. O espaço informacional no ato da escolha é ampliado através da incorporação de uma segunda dimensão, na forma de um novo tipo de utilidade, dita social ou moral, representativa do contexto no qual a escolha é realizada. As dimensões são assumidas incomensuráveis entre si, uma característica típica de escolhas que envolvem questões morais. A impossibilidade de comparação entre duas alternativas, cada qual superior à outra em uma dimensão distinta, é resolvida através de uma simetria rotacional capaz de preservar a relação sujacente entre ambas utilidades. O modelo é baseado, fundamentalmente, nos trabalhos de Amartya Sen (1974, 1977, 1993, 1997) e Amitai Etzioni (1986), incorporando conceitos de utilidade moral (ETZIONI, 1986), dependência de contexto no ato da escolha (SEN, 1993, 1997), inescapabilidade ou urgência da escolha (SEN, 1997), auto-imposição de limites à escolha (SEN, 1997; ETZIONI, 1986), commitment, entendido como divisão entre escolha e bem-estar (SEN, 1977) e flexibilidade cognitiva dos indivíduos (ARIELY, 2012). / In this work, we develop a model that is able to describe context-dependent preferences, trying to overcome the limitations given by the revealed preference approach. The informational space in the act of choice is broadened by incorporating a second dimension, as a new type of utility, called social or moral, representing the context within the choice is made. The dimensions are deemed incommensurable, a typical characteristic of moral-related choices. The impossibility of comparison between two alternatives, where each alternative is the superior one in a different dimension, is resolved through a rotational symmetry able to preserve the underlying relationship between the two utilities. The model is fundamentally based on the works of Amartya Sen (1974, 1977, 1993, 1997) and Amitai Etzioni (1986), making use of the concepts of moral utility (ETZIONI, 1986), context-dependency in the act of choice (SEN, 1993, 1997), inescapability or urgency of the choice (SEN, 1997), self-imposing limits to choice (SEN, 1997; ETZIONI, 1986), commitment, understood as a wedge between choice and welfare (SEN, 1977) and the cognitive flexibility of the individuals (ARIELY, 2012).

This paper is concerned with the efficiency of aid in Masaka, Uganda which is about 140 km from the capital city Kampala. It uses the results of 300 surveys and several interviews to gather data, and a causal methodology to define results. Much of the methodology is based on theories from William Easterly, Andrew Mwenda, Dambisa Moyo, Jeffrey Sachs, and Amartya Sen. It has been concluded that there are several problems in the Masaka area. One is Uganda's federal government, which is inefficient and unaccountable. There is also lack of easily accessible health care for rural citizens, and a lack of local development due to poor governance. Conversely, the residents of Masaka are quite developed in terms of employment and education, and have rated themselves as quite free and satisfied with life. There is also a quite adequate level of gender equality, especially in terms of education.

O presente artigo identifica o caráter normativo dominante da estratégia para a superação sustentável da pobreza no Brasil, por meio do exame dos Programas Complementares Federais do Bolsa Família, principal programa de transferência de renda condicionada do país. Os Programas Complementares visam a superação sustentável da pobreza através da participação das pessoas pobres no processo. Para isso, empreendem ações e políticas setoriais para o desenvolvimento de capacitações entre os beneficiários adultos, tendo como princípio subjacente a idéia de agência, elemento fundamental na teoria de Amartya Sen. Nessa teoria a condição de agente das pessoas é imprescindível para a eficácia do desenvolvimento, por ter uma relevância instrumental tanto para a produção econômica (agência individual) como para a mudança social e política (agência coletiva), embora este último aspecto seja frequentemente negligenciado ou compreendido limitadamente na literatura e no campo das políticas públicas. A importância da agência é endossada pelo paradigma do desenvolvimento humano, introduzido pelo Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento, que tem como referência basilar o trabalho de Sen. Mas apesar do apelo normativo que os Programas Complementares fazem ao paradigma do desenvolvimento humano, considera-se que eles devem ser examinados com cautela, já que popularização e o caráter sedutor da idéia de desenvolvimento humano podem levar ao uso superficial do termo no âmbito político, visando a rotular de forma positiva qualquer política com algum foco humano. Ademais, a existência de outros dois paradigmas consolidados que também vêm fornecendo diretrizes para a formulação de políticas de combate à pobreza nas últimas quatro décadas – o das necessidades básicas e o neoliberal – pode resultar em políticas híbridas, nas quais podem estar presentes elementos normativos não apenas do desenvolvimento humano, mas também dos demais paradigmas. Tendo isso em vista, o artigo coloca em perspectiva o quanto os vinte Programas Complementares contemplam, em seu desenho institucional, uma proposta efetiva de desenvolvimento da condição de agente de seus beneficiários da maneira como recomenda o paradigma do desenvolvimento humano, no qual se apóiam em sua justificativa pública. Buscou-se elucidar a questão criando-se três categorias analíticas a partir das distinções normativas entre os três paradigmas no que se refere especificamente ao aspecto da agência: “Satisfação de Necessidades”; “Capital Humano”; e “Capacitações Humanas”. A partir delas, identificou-se a ênfase que cada programa complementar dá a cada paradigma, no que se refere à abordagem da condição de agente. A ênfase foi obtida através de um sistema de pesos que permitiu visualizar a ausência, a presença ou a presença mais forte das características pertencentes a cada categoria analítica em cada programa. A pesquisa permitiu concluir que os Programas Complementares possuem em seu arcabouço institucional uma proposta de desenvolvimento da condição de agente, mas com um aproveitamento restrito das possibilidades instrumentais que ela oferece, priorizando a agência individual em detrimento da coletiva. Ao abordar o papel instrumental da agência para a mudança social e política no contexto do Bolsa Família, o trabalho contribui para o aprofundamento dessa questão que tem recebido menos atenção nos estudos sobre o Programa desde a ótica seniana. / This article identifies the dominant normative strategy for sustainable eradication of poverty in Brazil, through the examination of the federal complementary programs of Bolsa Família, the main country’s Conditional Cash Transfer. The complementary programs aim at eradicating poverty in a sustainable way, through the participation of the poor in the process. To this end, they undertake sectoral actions and policies for the development of capabilities among adults beneficiaries, whose underlying principle is the idea of agency, a key element in the theory of Amartya Sen. In this theory the role of the people's agency is essential for development effectiveness for having an instrumental relevance both for economic production (individual agency) and for social and political change (collective agency), although the latter is often overlooked or understood narrowly in the literature and in the public policy field. The importance of the agency is endorsed by the human development paradigm, introduced by the United Nations Development Programme, which has the work of Sen as a basic reference. Despite the normative appeal of the complementary programs to the human development paradigm, it is considered that they should be examined with caution, since the popularization and appealing character of human development idea can lead to the superficial use of the term in the political sphere, aiming to label positively any policy with a human focus. Moreover, the existence of two consolidated paradigms which are also providing guidelines for the formulation of policies to combat poverty in the last four decades - the basic needs and the neoliberal paradigms - can result in hybrid policies, in which may be present normative elements not only of human development but also from the others. In this concern, the article puts into perspective how the twenty complementary programs include in its institutional design, an effective proposal for development of the role of agent, the way the paradigm of human development – in which they base their public justification -recommends. We attempted to clarify the issue by creating three analytical categories as from the normative distinctions between the three paradigms in specific reference to the agency aspect: "Needs Satisfaction"; "Human capital"; and "Human Capabilities". From these, we identified the emphasis each complementary program gives to each paradigm regarding the role of agent approach. The emphasis has been obtained by a system of weights which enables to visualize the absence, presence or stronger presence of features belonging to each category in each program. We concluded that the complementary programs have in its institutional framework a proposal of the development of the agent, but with a restricted use of the instrumental possibilities it offers, giving priority to individual agency at the expense of the collective. Addressing the instrumental role of the agency for social and political change in the Bolsa Família context, the work contributes to the deepening of this issue that has received less attention in studies of the program from the senian perspective.

Submitted by Mariana Dornelles Vargas (marianadv) on 2015-05-04T13:36:47Z No. of bitstreams: 1 enfoque_capabilidades.pdf: 1394637 bytes, checksum: a6cd0c2df02a7298caad840963cb1969 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-05-04T13:36:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 enfoque_capabilidades.pdf: 1394637 bytes, checksum: a6cd0c2df02a7298caad840963cb1969 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-25 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / Este trabalho versa sobre as relações entre a ética e a economia a partir de uma reflexão sobre o conceito de desenvolvimento. As diversas transformações porque tem passado a sociedade contemporânea nas últimas décadas avivam as discussões sobre o conceito de desenvolvimento e sugerem a necessidade de uma revisão conceitual e teórica. Amartya Sen entende que a chave para uma compreensão adequada do desenvolvimento reside em uma interpretação da liberdade como o fim último e o principal meio do desenvolvimento. O enfoque da capabilidade de Amartya Sen apresenta um conjunto de categorias que visam ampliar nossa compreensão sobre o desenvolvimento desde o exame das oportunidades, realizações, direitos e liberdades individuais considerando a pluralidade dos indivíduos e suas possibilidades existenciais. São objetivos gerais deste trabalho, identificar o sentido da liberdade e do desenvolvimento em Amartya Sen, a relação entre ambos e sua efetivação nas categorias presentes no enfoque da capabilidade; analisar essas categorias: funcionamentos, oportunidades, capabilidades e condição de agente (componentes do enfoque da capabilidade), explicitando suas principais contribuições para a perspectiva do desenvolvimento ético. De modo especial, procura-se compreender os fundamentos da perspectiva do desenvolvimento como liberdade; a partir da análise das principais premissas e pressupostos presentes em suas discussões com a economia moral utilitarista, a economia do bem-estar e a teoria rawlsiana. Embora alguns interpretes de A. Sen compreendam que do enfoque da capabilidade decorre os fundamentos para uma teoria da igualdade ou teoria da justiça, este trabalho segue uma interpretação mais branda, que acompanha outros estudiosos que vêem na obra seniana uma perspectiva normativa para o desenvolvimento ético que ao extrapolar tal âmbito desenvolve conceitos e categorias teóricas com potencial para a elaboração de uma ética do desenvolvimento. Defende-se que o enfoque da capabilidade de Amartya Sen constitui-se em uma perspectiva ético-econômica mais plausível do que as teorias econômicas existentes no que se refere à avaliação dos estados de uma sociedade e seu grau de desenvolvimento, liberdade e bem estar, em termos de enriquecimento da vida humana. Trata-se de enfoque normativo elaborado em relação dialética com a realidade social, capaz de contemplar discussões teórico-conceituais; fornecer ferramentas adequadas ao desenvolvimento de pesquisas e estudos empíricos sobre o desenvolvimento, com fins a orientar a formulação de políticas públicas através da instrumentalização e operalização das categorias presentes no enfoque das capabilidades. / This paper verses upon the relation between ethics and economics after such reflection on the development concept. Several transformations in which society has been through over the last decades highlight the discussions on the development concept and soar the necessity of a conceptual and theoretical review. Amartya Sen understands that the key for a suitable comprehension of development lays on an interpretation of freedom as the only end and main means of Development as Freedom. The capability approach of Amartya Sen shows a number of categories which aim to amplify our comprehension over the development since the exam of opportunities, realizations, rights and individual substantive freedoms considering the plurality of individuals and their existential possibilities. These are the general aims of this paper, identify the freedom and development sense in Amartya Sen, the relation between both and their effectiveness in the extant categories on the capability approach; analyze these categories: functioning, opportunities, capabilities and agency, (components of capability approach), highlighting their main contributions for the development ethics. In a special way, it was sought to understand the perspective fundaments of development as freedom: after an analysis of main assumptions and premises present in their discussions with the utilitarist moral economics, welfare economics and John Rawls' theory. Although some interpreters of A. Sen comprehend that the capability approach runs into fundaments for a new theory of justice, this paper follows a slighter interpretation, which accompanies other experts who see on the senian work a normative perspective for the development ethics which when overcomes such aim, it develops concepts and theoretical categories with potential for the elaboration of an ethics of development. It is defended that the capability approach of Amartya Sen is constituted in an ethic-economic perspective more plausible than the modern economic theories, which already endure referring to the evaluation of states in a society and their degree of development, freedom, well-being, in terms of enrichment of human life. It is treated a normative approach elaborated in a dialect relationship with the social reality, able to contemplate conceptual-theoretical discussions, supply with adequate tools to the research development and empirical studies about the development, aiming to orientate the formation of public politics through the manipulation and operation of present categories on the capability approach.

<p>Introduction: Poverty is today a global problem which is getting more and more attention. Organisations as UNDP, OECD and World Bank have a common target of cutting poverty in half by year 2015. But if this target is going to be feasible it is important to understand poverty. Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen argues that standard of living should be expressed in quality of life not in terms of quantity of goods and other economic factors. Sen has developed theories concerning poverty that is commonly used in today debate. One way to diminish poverty is microfinance. Microfinance is small loans given to poor people as a way for them to start or develop a business of some kind. Microfinance programs often combine the loans with education and social activities. Aim: Investigate if microfinance can contribute to permanent poverty alleviation, develop a model and apply it in rural Vietnam. The following questions will help to achieve our aim: - How do microfinance effect poor women in rural Vietnam? - What happens if one applies Amartya Sen's theories of poverty in rural Vietnam? </p><p>Results: Microfinance is a good tool in the struggle to diminishing poverty. We found many examples where microfinance had improved the women’s life in different areas. But to make the microfinance even more effective it is important it is effective education and right members participating. Under ideal circumstances the process of microfinance work as in the NORAN-model, however in reality it is not so easy. But if you are aware of the problems and try to avoid them, microfinance can help many women. Thus our conclusion is that microfinance certainly can and already do contribute to permanent poverty alleviation.</p>

Introduction: Poverty is today a global problem which is getting more and more attention. Organisations as UNDP, OECD and World Bank have a common target of cutting poverty in half by year 2015. But if this target is going to be feasible it is important to understand poverty. Nobel Prize winner Amartya Sen argues that standard of living should be expressed in quality of life not in terms of quantity of goods and other economic factors. Sen has developed theories concerning poverty that is commonly used in today debate. One way to diminish poverty is microfinance. Microfinance is small loans given to poor people as a way for them to start or develop a business of some kind. Microfinance programs often combine the loans with education and social activities. Aim: Investigate if microfinance can contribute to permanent poverty alleviation, develop a model and apply it in rural Vietnam. The following questions will help to achieve our aim: - How do microfinance effect poor women in rural Vietnam? - What happens if one applies Amartya Sen's theories of poverty in rural Vietnam? Results: Microfinance is a good tool in the struggle to diminishing poverty. We found many examples where microfinance had improved the women’s life in different areas. But to make the microfinance even more effective it is important it is effective education and right members participating. Under ideal circumstances the process of microfinance work as in the NORAN-model, however in reality it is not so easy. But if you are aware of the problems and try to avoid them, microfinance can help many women. Thus our conclusion is that microfinance certainly can and already do contribute to permanent poverty alleviation.

This thesis is an examination of the concept of human development and does a comparative study of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. Sen rectifies the emphasis on income by welfare economics, and argues for the ‘equality of capability’; a goal that he says can be achieved by means of the intrinsic and instrumental role of democracy. However, the author notes that Sen’s development paradigm is inadequate as an account for what constitutes the kind of well-being that is fully human and asserts that Sen’s framework should be concretized politically. In view of this, the author argues that Nussbaum’s articulation of a ‘threshold of capabilities’, anchored on her reading Aristotle’s concept of human flourishing and Marx’s insight on human dignity, is a politically realistic human development framework. Nussbaum thinks that the essential human capabilities are entitlements that must be constitutionally guaranteed to ensure a decent and dignified human life for all. As a response to the reality of pluralism, Nussbaum says that the universality of these entitlements can be secured by means of an overlapping consensus. Furthermore, the extreme poverty in many nations which exposes women and children to much vulnerability has provoked the author to inquire about the applicability of Nussbaum’s framework to the global arena. As such, the thesis argues for the radical expansion of the Human Development Index used by the United Nations Development Program in measuring the quality of human life, notably the inclusion of political liberties and gender equality. In addition to this, the study puts forward the argument that global human development is best achieved through democracy, and asserts that global institutions have a moral duty to protect and promote the central human capabilities.

In this thesis, many topics will be discussed and a variety of philosophers will be mentioned. The main goal of this thesis is to determine a health care plan that fits with the theories of Robert Nozick, Arthur Ripstein, Norman Daniels, and Amartya Sen. I conclude that Ezekiel Emanuel’s health care plan, The Guaranteed Healthcare Access Plan, can be used as a compromise between the views of each of these philosophers. In reaching such a conclusion, I take many steps. I begin with the explanation of theories of justice and their focus. I then turn to the important distinction between rights and ethics. Next, I explain that often closely held values come into conflict with one another. Then, I turn to the specific philosophers and their theories. Beginning with Nozick, I explain the justification for a state and how this justification is important for all four of the philosophers. Afterwards, in turn, I lay out what each philosopher claims in regards to a just society and the role of a state, his justification for such claims, and the results of such claims specifically in regards to health care. Subsequently, I examine the connections between philosophers, which help me understand the ways a health care system could be instituted to appeal to all four of them. After questioning if a just society can really exist in a limited world, I decide what type of health care system such a just society should implement. Finally, I rest on Ezekiel Emanuel’s plan, which I believe should be implemented in a just society and which best demonstrates the common ground between the four philosophers I discuss.