Capability, Care, and Personal Assistance:Making Connections

Abstract

The Capability Approach/Capability Theory (CA/T) makes the normative claim that freedom to achieve well-being is of primary moral importance. It has made significant contributions in its original field of Development Studies and has also been used in other fields as a framework to assess the relation between well-being and socio-economic contexts, to inform policies for social change. CA/T’s move from a focus only on resources (redistribution) reveals how the relation between the elements of participation and freedom in the achievement of well-being becomes contested. This paper will use two examples from empirical research conducted with disabled people, their personal assistants and care workers to explore how attention to participation, connection, and affiliation can further develop CA/T.