What distinguishes the CA, though, is that it aims not just to be a formal statement of rights and freedoms, but to provide real opportunities to do or be what one desires. It is also more specific about the actual activities that each person should have the capability to pursue than the abstract claims of human rights declarations.

Nussbaum fleshes out the detail of the CA by listing 10 specific ones. They are (my parenthetical explanations are summaries of Nussbaum’s):

1. Life (being able to live a normal human lifespan).


2. Bodily health (being able to have good health, including reproductive health, and adequate nourishment and shelter).


3. Bodily integrity (being able to move

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the CA does not aim to provide functions that people are required to perform, or goods that they are required to accept. It aims to provide capabilities of which each individual may avail themselves to the extent they see fit. It’s a non-paternalist approach that respects individual autonomy. As Nussbaum puts it in Women and Human Development... See more

When stated baldly, the capabilities approach (CA) might seem simple – plain common sense. In fact, it is a subtle and far-reaching theory that changes the way we think about human needs. But let me start by stating it baldly: the CA says that it is the task of governments (or other bodies that make policy and distribute resources) to provide all... See more