The capability approach is an economics theory developed during the 1880s
The capability approach is an economics theory developed during the 1880s. The approach was conceived to incorporate new ideas absent in previous approaches regarding welfare economics. The theory mainly focuses on individual strengths; that is, what individuals can do or are capable (Robeyns 2017). The capability approach comprises three concepts: capability, agency, and functioning. The capability refers to perform valuable deeds and achieve valuable states of being. Agency refers to an individual’s ability to pursue and achieve worthwhile goals. A functioning means a valuable state or activity, making up the wellbeing of a group of people.
To understand the relationship between economic development and the capability approach, which is a process headed towards the fundamental objective, we can consider two approaches—first, an approach to development whose objective is to sustain greater economic growth rates. Here the economy would be the unit of analysis for a particular sector or region with monetary, that is, income being the currency of assessment. Trade-offs, for example, to protect the environment and create employment, are mostly resolved through exchange rates and market prices. The next approach has the objective of expanding people’s capabilities, that is, real freedoms. It views a healthy economy where people have a good education, healthy life, jobs, and happy families. Both approaches focus on economic growth, poverty reduction, microeconomic stability, and any other way of improving lives.
Amartya Sen’s capability approach pioneered works related to welfare economics and economic development. He affirms that the vital idea of the capability approach should expand people’s freedom to achieve and promote valuable doings and beings- social arrangements expand people’s capability (Dutta 2019). Economic development is only tested by establishing whether people possess greater freedoms currently compared to the past. Inequality is tested by establishing whether people have equal or unequal capability sets.
The capability approach is different from increasing per capita GDP in that it is more forward-thinking and original in analyzing the quality of life. It is a measurement approach that discourages measuring based on principles, which dictates what affects quality living standards in a population with vast preferences. The theory focuses on what capabilities people within a certain population possess to pursue as wide an array as possible of different functions or actions (Bidder & Riley 2019). For instance, instead of measuring degree id participation in politics in a country, the Capability approach focuses on measuring factors that provide an individual with the option to participate in politics, for example, literacy and politics. In calculation, the capability approach tries to obtain a set of vector opportunities given to people to increase capabilities as a way of improving quality of life.
Question 3
Millennium Development goals, also referred to as Sustainable Goals, refer to seventeen goals developed with the objective of; eradicating hunger and poverty, achieving universal education, reducing child mortality, promoting gender equality, improving maternal healthcare, ensuring environmental stability, eliminating deadly diseases and developing global collaborations. These goals are collectively agreed by world nations and leading development institutions (Kumar et al., 2016).
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- % Population below the income poverty line of PPP $1.90 a day (2005-2014) pp. 218-219
Value= 46.6 %
- 2010-2015 gross primary enrolment ratio (% of primary school-age population) pp. 230-233
Value= 48.7 %
- Youth (15-24) literacy rate (Ratio of female to male rate) 2005-2015. Computed from the data presented on pp. 230-233
Value=? 0.997
- Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births) 2015
- 226-229
Value=? 118
- Physicians (per 10000 people) 2001-2014 pp. 226-229
Value= 0.3
- HIV prevalence, adult (% ages 15-49) 2015 pp. 226-229
Value= 4.7
- Freshwater withdrawals (% total renewable water resources) 2005-2014 pp. 264-268
Value= 40%
- Total debt service (as % of GNI) in 2014 pp. 234-237
Value= 0.5
Since signing the Millennium Declaration, Tanzania has posted a significant improvement in achieving millennium development goals. The population living below the income poverty line is at 46.6%. The poverty index has implications concerning interventions since it quantifies the amount of money transferred in absolute terms required to improve the lives of poor people. Tanzania has significant progress in achieving gross primary education posting 89.7% compared to previous years. Regarding gender equality, Tanzania is improving gender parity in all education levels, increasing to 100 percent from previous years (UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA Country Report on the Millennium Development Goals 2014 Entering 2015 with better MDG scores, 2014) to NER GPI of 0.997 ratios of girls than boys in 2015. Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births is 48.7%. Prevalence of HIV/AIDS shows 5.1 percent of adults people aged 15-49 years are positive less than the 5.5 targets in 2015. The total debt service is at 0.5. Generally, Tanzania has achieved most MDGs. Further efforts for global partnerships are required to address those that are dragging behind.
References
- UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA Country Report On The Millennium Development Goals 2014 Entering 2015 With Better MDG Scores. [ebook] MINISTRY OF FINANCE, p.United Nations Development Programme. Available at: <https://um.dk/en/danida-en/strategies%20and%20priorities/country-policies/tanzania/annex-3—overview-of-progress-towards-the-mdgs-in-tanzania/> [Accessed 20 May 2020].
Bidder, R., & Riley, R. (2019). Economic Measurement: Introduction. National Institute Economic Review, 249, R1-R2.
Dutta, S. M. (2019). AMARTYA SEN’S PERSPECTIVE ON CAPABILITY APPROACH & WEL-BEING. International Journal on Recent Trends in Business and Tourism, 3(4), 26-31.
Kumar, S., Kumar, N., & Vivekadhish, S. (2016). Millennium development goals (MDGS) to sustainable development goals (SDGS): Addressing unfinished agenda and strengthening sustainable development and partnership. Indian journal of community medicine: official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 41(1), 1.
Robeyns, I. (2017). Wellbeing, freedom, and social justice: The capability approach re-examined. Open Book Publishers.