Operationalisation of the Capability Approach

Abstract

While the Capability Approach offers a rich, comprehensive and innovative way to measure well-being, its operationalisation is a demanding task. This chapter starts by broadly discussing some central issues related to the operationalisation of the Capability Approach and providing an overview of how these have been addressed in the recent empirical literature. Applications of the Capability Approach in labour market and education research are then explored, discussing how quantitative and qualitative methodological and empirical challenges have been tackled. The chapter then moves to present the methodological and empirical strategies used in a project concerning the capabilities of young unemployed people in different European countries, highlighting issues of how to suitably capture and measure young people's capabilities were addressed and outlining lessons learned that are relevant to those using the Capability Approach in the future.