European Union Poverty Assessment: A Capability Perspective

Juergen Volkert

Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 2006, vol. 7, issue 3, 359-383

Abstract: This paper addresses the European Union's (EU) conceptual shift from a narrow income poverty perspective to a multidimensional approach that has explicitly been inspired by Amartya Sen's work. I briefly describe these changes and discuss challenges for today's EU income poverty indicators. Then I develop an approach that might more adequately fulfil the tasks of an income poverty measure within the capability approach. I explain why and how the analysis should be broadened from income poverty to capability deprivation. I also evaluate the current EU framework's suitability for an analysis of 'capability deprivation' and identify capability dimensions that have not (sufficiently) been addressed by the EU. Based on initial empirical studies, it is shown that broadening the perspective to a capability concept may yield substantial value-added and new insights. Before concluding I explain how to apply the Adequate-Methods-Approach developed in this paper to capability deprivation.

Keywords: Capabilities; Poverty; Amartya Sen; European Union (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:jhudca:v:7:y:2006:i:3:p:359-383

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DOI: 10.1080/14649880600815933

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