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Publication

13

The Capability Approach and the Politics of a Social Conception of Wellbeing

Published on 19 November 2010

The capability approach constitutes a significant contribution to social theory but its potential is diminished by its insufficient treatment of the social construction of meaning.

Social meanings enable people to make value judgements about what they will do and be, and also to evaluate how satisfied they are about what they are able to achieve. From this viewpoint, a person’s state of wellbeing must be understood as being socially and psychologically co-constituted in specific social and cultural contexts.

Publication details

published by
Sage
authors
Deneulin, S. and McGregor, J.A.
journal
European Journal of Social Theory, volume 13, issue 4

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