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Linking Sustainability and the Capability Approach. MOC-AWC seminar in Brussels 26th January 2012. Dr. Ortrud Leßmann I.P.A. Institute for Human Resources and International Management. Folie 1. MOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approache de capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012. Sustainability of what? - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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MOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approache de capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Linking Sustainability and the Capability Approach
MOC-AWC seminar in Brussels 26th January 2012
Folie 1
Dr. Ortrud LeßmannI.P.A. Institute for Human Resourcesand International Management
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
2
Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Sustainability of what?• environmental sustainability, economic
sustainability, social sustainability, political sustainability, educational sustainability ….
• Sustaining something is not intrinsically valuable, but carries the value attached to what is sustained
• Sustainability is a normative concept!• What should be sustained?
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
3
Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
• Brundtland-definition :"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" “SD requires meeting the basic needs of all and extending to all the opportunity to satisfy their aspirations for a better life.” (WCED 1987)
• Well-being of present and future generations is to be sustained
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Linking sustainability to the capability approach• What is well-being?• Brundtland commission: fulfilling needs
– What are needs?– Are they directed towards material resources?
• Capability approach: being and doing well– achieving functionings and – having the capability to achieve functionings
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Well-being as being and doing well:• objective account of well-being• opposed to subjective well-being and utilitarianism• opposed to focus on resources
since resources are means to achieve well-being, but not constituents of well-being
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Achieved functionings
Capability set
Resources
Conversion factors
Choice
Resources:•income, access to health care, etc.Conversion factors:•personal, social and environmentalCapability set:•set of feasible ways of life
Ex. 2 (bike):•bike•cycling
Option 2:•… by bike
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Which beings and doings?• Amartya Sen:
– no definite list– public deliberation about dimensions– context dependent
• Martha Nussbaum:– list of ten central functional capabilities– multiple realizability (specification is context
dependent)
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Sustaining well-being in the sense of the CA means sustaining the freedom to achieve well-being
• How to do that?– sustaining resources and conversion factors is
a prerequisite– social embeddedness of the individual– social responsibility for individual well-being
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Economic
Social
Natural
Systems
PoliticalAchieved functionings
Capability set
Resources
Conversion factors
Choice
individualsystem
1
2
10IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
now futuret
3
Achieved functionings
Capability set
Resources
Conversion factors
2
1 ChoiceEconomic
Social
Natural
Systems
Political
Achieved functionings
Resources
Conversion factors
4 ChoiceCapability set
Economic
Social
Natural
Systems
Political
individualsystema
individualsystemb
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
• Heavy burden for the individual:huge responsibility, marginal influence
• How to alleviate the burden?– concentrate on the natural system– collective efforts
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
Achieved functionings
Capability set
Resources
Conversion factors
2‘
1 Choice
Economic
Social
Natural System
Systems
Political
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
13
Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
now futuret
3
Achieved functionings
Capability set
Resources
Conversion factors
2
1 Choice
Capability set
Economic
Social System
Natural
Systems
Political
Collective institutions
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
• Sustainability and the capability approach are both normative conceptions
• Both aim at achieving/sustaining well-being• Inclusion of freedom in discussions on SD by CA Useful tool to analyze
what contributes to human freedom, what individuals can do and what social order is supportive of it
More clarity on the difficulties of sustainability transitions
More clarity on the reasons for current shortcuts
Dr. Ortrud Leßmann
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Sustainability and the Capability Approach
IMOC-AWC seminaire: L‘approche des capabilités, 26-27 janvier 2012
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