Measure of Poverty, Capability

The capability measure of poverty provides an alternative strategy to assess and compare the state of human well-being across individuals, groups, and societies. Whereas the traditional ways of poverty measurement exclusively focus on income, consumption, or similar forms of economic welfare, the capability measure takes stock of the various human capabilities central to effectively function in society. Focusing on a set of capabilities to function, this alternative measure of poverty assesses human well-being in terms of the ability to achieve and maintain a healthy, creative, and well-informed life. This measure has yet to receive wide recognition, particularly in the United States, mainly because of methodological complexities and its focus on multifaceted notions of human well-being that fall outside the dominant classical and neoclassical approaches to ...