| AUTHOR | Amartya Sen |
| ORGANIZATION | Journal of Human Development |
| TYPE | Journal Article |
| DATE | 2005 |
| TOPIC | Child poverty and disparities |
| LANGUAGE | English |
The two concepts -- human rights and capabilities -- go well with each other, so long as we do not try to subsume either concept entirely within the territory of the other. There are many human rights that can been seen as rights to particular capabilities. However, human rights to important process freedoms cannot be adequately analysed within the capability framework. Furthermore, both human rights and capabilities have to depend on the process of public reasoning. The methodology of public scrutiny draws on Rawlsian understanding of objectivity in ethics, but the impartiality that is needed cannot be confined within the borders of a nation. Public reasoning without territorial confinement is important for both.
