It’s about process: who draws up the list of capabilities and how?

Foye, C. (2020) It’s about process: who draws up the list of capabilities and how? Housing, Theory and Society, 37(3), pp. 300-304. (doi: 10.1080/14036096.2019.1705385)

Abstract

I agree with the focus article that, in theory, ‘capabilities’ represent the most ethically appropriate informational space for evaluating housing outcomes. My concerns with the article are twofold. First, it overestimates the practical utility of the capabilities approach for qualitative and quantitative housing research. Second, it leaves unanswered the more pressing and pertinent procedural question of “who decides on the list of capabilities and how?”. In line with Sen, I argue that the list of capabilities (or any alternative framework for evaluating housing outcomes) should be determined from the bottom-up through a process of deliberative democracy.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Foye, Dr Chris
• Authors: Foye, C.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: Housing, Theory and Society
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis
• ISSN: 1403-6096
• ISSN (Online): 1651-2278
• Published Online: 06 January 2020
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 IBF, The Institute for Housing and Urban Research
• First Published: First published in Housing, Theory and Society 37(3): 300-304
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy