This chapter shows that Sen’s (2009) non-welfarist approach to justice is greatly influenced by 1) his work on famines; 2) his empirical work on gender inequalities, specifically within the Indian society, that helped him to refine his approach to hunger; and 3) his involvement in the creation of the human development approach. All these engagements – seemingly completely separate from his theoretical work in welfare economics – have, in fact, fostered the formulation of a novel approach in which agency and public reasoning are the core elements.

This chapter examines the connections between the capability approach and human rights. It considers the links between the capability approach and the international human rights framework and discusses the treatment of the relationship between capabilities and human rights within Sen’s research agenda, Nussbaum’s work and the broader literature on the capability approach. Interdisciplinary perspectives spanning law, ethics, public policy and political economy are addressed, and four distinct ‘entry-points’ for examining the connections between the capability approach and human rights are explored. The first focuses on the capability approach as an ‘informational space’ for human rights monitoring, assessment and evaluation. The second focuses on normative concerns and the importance of the capability concept for theoretical thinking about human rights. The third focuses on practical initiatives that explicitly combine the capability approach and human rights as a basis for specific applications and public policies. The fourth addresses the instrumental role that human rights recognitions play within processes of capability expansion (as elements of public action and as mechanisms of broader social change).