Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach and Social Justice in Education This page intentionally left blank Amartya Sen’s Capability Approach and Social Justice in Education Edited by Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter AMARTYASEN’SCAPABILITYAPPROACHANDSOCIALJUSTICEINEDUCATION © Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter, 2007 Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2007 978-1-4039-7504-1 All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First published in 2007 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN™ 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010 and Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire, England RG21 6XS. Companies and representatives throughout the world. PALGRAVE MACMILLAN is the global academic imprint of the Palgrave Macmillan division of St. Martin’s Press, LLC and of Palgrave Macmillan Ltd. Macmillan® is a registered trademark in the United States, United Kingdom and other countries. Palgrave is a registered trademark in the European Union and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-53573-6 I SBN 978-0-230-60481-0 (eBook) DOI 10.1057/9780230604810 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Amartya Sen’s capability approach and social justice in education / Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter (editors.) p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-349-53573-6 1. Educational sociology. 2. Education—Economic aspects. 3. Learning Ability. 4. Social Justice. 5. Sen, Amartya Kumar. I. Walker, Melanie. II. Unterhalter, Elaine. LC191.A56 2007 370.11’5–dc22 2007060032 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Design by Macmillan India Ltd. First edition: July 2007 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 In memory of Professor Terence McLaughlin,1949–2006 This page intentionally left blank Contents List ofTables and Figures ix Acknowledgments xi Notes on Contributors xiii 1 The Capability Approach:Its Potential for Work in Education 1 Melanie Walker and Elaine Unterhalter Part I Theoretical Perspectives on the Capability Approach and Education 19 Editors’Introduction 21 2 The Capability to Be Educated 25 Lorella Terzi 3 Situating Education in the Human Capabilities Approach 45 Pedro Flores-Crespo 4 Distribution ofWhat for Social Justice in Education? The Case ofEducation for All by 2015 67 Elaine Unterhalter and Harry Brighouse 5 Gender Equality,Education,and the Capability Approach 87 Elaine Unterhalter 6 Measuring Capabilities:An Example from Girls’Schooling 109 Rosie Vaughan Part II Applications ofthe Capability Approach in Education 131 Editors’Introduction 133 7 Developing Capabilities and the Management ofTrust 137 Richard Bates viii CONTENTS 8 Education and Capabilities in Bangladesh 157 Janet Raynor 9 Selecting Capabilities for Gender Equality in Education 177 Melanie Walker 10 Children’s Valued Capabilities 197 Mario Biggeri 11 The Capability Approach and Women’s Economic Security:Access to Higher Education under Welfare Reform 215 Luisa S.Deprez and Sandra S.Butler Part III Taking the Capability Approach Forward in Education 237 12 Conclusion:Capabilities,Social Justice,and Education 239 Elaine Unterhalter and Melanie Walker Bibliography 255 Index 265 List of Tables and Figures Tables 3.1 Proposed framework to evaluate the capabilities ofuniversity graduates 51 6.1 Well-being and agency achievements and freedoms within,and through,formal education 119 6.2 General capabilities through education,and gender considerations 124 10.1 Percent ofchild delegates who identified the capabilities at the CWCCL and at the CWCCLE 206 10.2 Percent ofchildren who identified the capabilities at Kampala,Uganda 207 10.3 Results ofcore question on capabilities at the CWCCL and at the CWCCLE (percent): The three most relevant capabilities 208 10.4 Results ofcore question on capabilities at Kampala,Uganda (percent):The three most relevant capabilities 209 Figures 4.1 Three different fields ofeducation and capabilities 78 5.1 Contrasting distribution ofyoung men and women completing university degrees in mathematics and science in two districts 94 x LIST OFTABLES AND FIGURES 5.2 Contrasting distribution ofyoung men and women completing university degrees in mathematics and science in three districts 95 6.1 The different roles ofeducation in Robeyns’s stylized nondynamic representation ofa person’s capability set and her social and personal context 115 8.1 Gender inequalities in enrollment in Bangladesh 160