Exploring the Role of the Capability Approach in Social Innovation

Abstract

The emergence of the co-operative movement in the nineteenth century with Robert Owen’s work in particular promoted innovation in the social field. In more recent times, the application of the concept has been in a wide range of sectors from civil society, government and the corporate world. The paper uses the Capability Approach (CA) to understand the human dimensions of social innovation (SI). In doing so, the paper draws attention to the complementarities between the CA and SI. Four case studies from different domains are deployed to further the understanding of the SI using a CA lens. The findings offer a new insight into SI in terms of the CA that maybe relevant in a wide range of domains.

Keywords:

• Capability Approach
• Human development
• Poverty
• Aspired capabilities
• Social innovation

Acknowledgements

The author acknowledges the invaluable help given by Tom Scrivener for the initial research in this paper. Comments by two anonymous referees are received with gratitude.

About the Author

Dr Meera Tiwari is Reader (Associate Professor) in International Development Studies at the University of East London, where she is also programme leader for MSC NGO and Development Management. Her interconnected research interests are – the North–South Poverty debate and the SDGs, exploring social and economic poverties within the CA and how can globalisation be made to work for the most vulnerable communities. She has conducted primary research to study the User Perspective of Information and Communication Technologies in Rural India (Madhya Pradesh and Bihar). She has applied Poverty and Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) and Outcome Mapping tools to Livelihoods Policy frameworks to study the impact on poverty reduction in the state of Bihar in India (2009–2013). Meera Tiwari has also conducted research for social impact evaluations of state supported programmes on poverty reduction as well as of grassroots interventions by NGOs in India, Lebanon and Brazil in various domains of development. In addition to her fieldwork in rural Ethiopia and Tanzania, she has completed a UKIERI-funded project (2012–2014) on exploring good practice in social cohesion in East London and Mumbai with Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India. Her collaborative project with CFF (Crops for the Future), University of Nottigham in Malaysia (2014) was on Underutilised Crops and Livelihoods.

Notes

1. For a detailed analysis of the literature, see Ibrahim (2011).

2. See Ibrahim and Alkire (2007) for a detailed review of the rich literature on empowerment.

3. This section is based on Tiwari (2010, 2014; Tiwari and Ibrahim 2012).