Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Capability Approach
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Capability Approach
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- General Introduction
- Part I Historical Antecedents and Philosophical Debates
- Part II Methods, Measurement and Empirical Evidence
- Introduction to Part II
- 13 Social Choice and the Capability Approach
- 14 On Capability and its Measurement
- 15 Analyzing Capabilities
- 16 Implementing the Capability Approach with Respect for Individual Valuations
- 17 Capability, Opportunity, Outcome and Equality
- 18 The Distribution of Capabilities
- 19 Inter-Group Disparities in the Distribution of Human Development
- 20 Multidimensional Inequality and Human Development
- 21 The Research Agenda on Multidimensional Poverty Measurement
- 22 Measuring Gender Inequality Using the Capability Approach
- 23 Econometric and Statistical Models for Operationalizing the Capability Approach
- 24 Expanding Capabilities through Participatory Action Research
- Part III Issues in Public Policy
- Index
- References
24 - Expanding Capabilities through Participatory Action Research
from Part II - Methods, Measurement and Empirical Evidence
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 November 2020
Book contents
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Capability Approach
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Capability Approach
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- General Introduction
- Part I Historical Antecedents and Philosophical Debates
- Part II Methods, Measurement and Empirical Evidence
- Introduction to Part II
- 13 Social Choice and the Capability Approach
- 14 On Capability and its Measurement
- 15 Analyzing Capabilities
- 16 Implementing the Capability Approach with Respect for Individual Valuations
- 17 Capability, Opportunity, Outcome and Equality
- 18 The Distribution of Capabilities
- 19 Inter-Group Disparities in the Distribution of Human Development
- 20 Multidimensional Inequality and Human Development
- 21 The Research Agenda on Multidimensional Poverty Measurement
- 22 Measuring Gender Inequality Using the Capability Approach
- 23 Econometric and Statistical Models for Operationalizing the Capability Approach
- 24 Expanding Capabilities through Participatory Action Research
- Part III Issues in Public Policy
- Index
- References
Summary
There is a growing amount of work applying qualitative methods for capability research with the objective of increasing the participation of ‘respondents’ in the production of knowledge. In this chapter we want to go a step further and illustrate how participatory approaches in research can contribute towards investigating which capabilities are valued, why certain choices are made, how capabilities are achieved and the role policy interventions can play in enhancing and generating capabilities, especially for vulnerable and marginalized groups. By drawing on the literature on participatory action research (PAR), we present our own theoretical framework to analyse and inform PAR processes from a human development and capability perspective. We named it the ‘participatory research capability cube’ due to its multidimensional perspective: (1) the expansion of the capabilities and agency of co-researchers; (2) the transformative characteristics of the knowledge produced; and (3) the democratic processes that PAR could enable both during and beyond the research process. Cross-cutting dimensions in our three-dimensional framework are issues of power and diversity. We then apply this framework to understand a PAR process in Kisumu, Kenya. We will conclude with some considerations on the suitability of our framework for a better understanding of PAR from a human development and capability perspective.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of the Capability Approach , pp. 477 - 496Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
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