Authors and thinkers
Thinker

Martha Nussbaum

3 key ideas, each explained in our own words.

Martha Nussbaum: Capabilities

  1. IDEA 1

    A list of central capabilities

    Nussbaum lists essentials such as life, health, education, play and political voice that every person should have. A just society secures a threshold of each.

  2. IDEA 2

    Emotions in public life

    She argues that emotions like compassion are needed for a decent society. Public institutions can nurture them.

  3. IDEA 3

    Women and development

    Her fieldwork, including in India, shows how gender shapes capabilities. Policy must look at what each person can actually do.

All 3 ideas from Martha Nussbaum: Capabilities →

Debates featuring Martha Nussbaum

Are welfare schemes empowerment or dependency?Welfare empowers vs Handouts can trapWhy are so few women in India's workforce, and what fixes it?Remove barriers vs Create the right jobsShould we measure progress by GDP or well-being?GDP matters vs Well-being matters

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