A Capability Approach to Fight Poverty

1. A Capability Approach to Fight Poverty Social Rights and Public Policies in the XXIst Century

2. Why a Capability Approach for the European Social Policies? 1. Plurality of principles, plurality of information basis 2. A definition of equality beyond the contradiction between neo-liberalism and the « protective » Welfare State 3. A definition of poverty fitted to Europe 4. Human Rights Politics (not only social policies)

3. 1. Public policies : plurality of development principles • Economic orthodoxy : growth as the focus of economic policies, efficiency as the focus of economics. • Sen Capability Approach : insistence on plurality of principles. Efficiency must be compatible with equality and quality of life.Contingency of this compatibility. • Connection with empirical information.An information basis is not value-free. Normative ponts of view and relevant facts are connected.

4. Effects of pluralism on the information basis of public policies Two sides of an information basis of public policies : • Data collection • Critique of the indicators (GNP for instance) : need for a plurality of indicators according to different normative points of view • Complexity can be reduced via a homogeneisation (most often : monetarisation) : generates bias and poverty of information • We can deal with complexity via complex indicators not via reduction. 2. Deliberative process at any stage of the policy • Necessity of qualitative inquiries and speech (cognitive democracy) • Data must be discussed in public debates and choices must be made (choices are unavoidable, and sometimes tragic choices). No absolute necessity.

5. 2. Definition of equality How to go beyond the protective, fordist equality without going back to the liberal formal equality?

6. Three main features : • Beyond (neo-)liberal « negative » freedom, the positive freedom négative freedom : the freedom defined by the absence of obstacle Positive freedom : the real freedom to live the life anybody wants to live • Beyond a « ressourcist » approach, the capability approach • Beyond « categories » (worker/non worker, retired/non/retired, learning/non learning etc.), an individual category.

7. 3. A definition of poverty fitted to European situation Poverty : definition in the vocabulary of capabilities. Multiple and multidimensional dedinitions of poverty. Current definitions of poverty are often too restrictive to deal with poverty in Europe • Relativity of poverty : absolute definitions of poverty (in income or needs) are not context sensitive : poverty is a relative concept. Different socio-economic realities in Europe. • Activity of poor people : definition of needs, reference to well being, and responses in assistance : a passive conception of poverty. For Sen well being is only one half of the story; the other one is agency. • Poverty policies are often income-oriented and not good life-oriented. Questions of quality of life are as important as questions of income. Examples : food consumption, neighbourhood quality, work-life balance. How to live a choosen life of projects instead of a material survival?

8. Three dimensions of capabilities (of poverty)

9. 4. A politics of Human rights • More important than quantitative targets : rights. Meaning of a policy. • Beyond the opposition between rights and policies • Human rights are moral aims of policies. Not only means and not unconditional legal rights. • Human rights can be (or not) legalised. In order to promote the human rights, there are and must be functional equivalents to law.

10. A permanent evaluation of human rights Factors of conversion (1) Right as a cognitive resource (symbolic frameworks analysis) Complex context of people’s deliberations and choices (3) Functionings (practical consequences analysis) (2) Right as a legal resource (legal effects analysis) (4) capabilities