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Capability approach
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<p>The capability approach (also referred to as the capabilities approach) is a <a href="/facts/Normative/CgTa03KU">normative</a> approach to human <a href="/facts/Welfare_spending/awUwQxkd">welfare</a> that concentrates on the actual capability of persons to achieve lives they value rather than solely having a <a href="/facts/Right/K72eoKB6">right</a> or <a href="/facts/Freedom/Qabx7ksU">freedom</a> to do so. It was conceived in the 1980s as an alternative approach to <a href="/facts/Welfare_economics/27rrn9UJ">welfare economics</a>. </p><p>In this approach, <a href="/facts/Amartya_Sen/R9zxJTMs">Amartya Sen</a> and <a href="/facts/Martha_Nussbaum/0gsuNp0c">Martha Nussbaum</a> combine a range of ideas that were previously excluded from (or inadequately formulated in) traditional approaches to welfare economics. The core focus of the capability approach is improving access to the tools people use to live a fulfilling life. </p>