Women and Human Development The Capabilities Approach (PDF)

Synopsis

In this major book Martha Nussbaum, one of the most innovative and in¯uential
philosophical voices of our time, proposes a new kind of feminism that is genuinely
international, argues for an ethical underpinning to all thought about development
planning and public policy, and dramatically moves beyond the abstractions
of economists and philosophers to embed thought about justice in the
concrete reality of the struggles of poor women.
In much of the world today women are less well nourished than men, less
healthy, and more vulnerable to physical violence and sexual abuse. Martha
Nussbaum argues that international political and economic thought must be
sensitive to gender difference as a problem of justice, and that feminist thought
must begin to focus on the problems of women in the third world. Taking as her
point of departure the predicament of poor women in India, she shows how
philosophy should undergird basic constitutional principles that should be respected
and implemented by all governments, and used as a comparative measure
of quality of life across nations.
The account is based on the idea of human capabilities: what people are
actually capable of doing or becoming in the real world. This approach is then
defended against the charge that all universals are bound to be insensitive to
regional and cultural speci®city. Martha Nussbaum also argues that it is an
approach superior to the preference-based approaches prevalent in contemporary
economics. Two ®nal chapters consider the particular problems that arise
when sex equality clashes with the claims of religion or family.
This is a vividly written book that is rich in narrative examples. It offers a
radically fresh account of how we should understand the ``quality of life'' in a
nation, and how we should think about the basic minimum that all governments
should provide for their citizens. Moreover, it calls for a new international focus
to feminism, and shows through concrete detail how philosophical arguments
about justice really do connect with the practical concerns of public policy.

Book details

Author:

Martha C. Nussbaum

ISBN:

9780521660860

Publisher:

Cambridge University Press

Pages:

N/A

Reading age:

Not specified

Includes images:

No

Date of addition:

2018-11-02

Usage restrictions:

Copyright

Copyright date:

2000

Copyright by:

Martha C. Nussbaum 

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Categories:

Nonfiction, Politics and Government, Social Studies