Assessing Poverty and Well-being in Australia : Potential of the Capability Paradigm /

Conference paper presented at The Australian Sociological Association (TASA) Conference. Social Causes, Private Lives (2010 : North Ryde, N.S.W.) Bibliography p. 9-11

Poverty and human well-being studies in Australia have been led by socioeconomic statistics which are limited in their description of the problem. There is a growing call for alternate ways, to conceptualise and evaluate poverty and well-being, which assist the government to develop broader and more inclusive poverty alleviation policies that can target more than what these statistics are able to capture. This paper argues for a broader informational space which is not dominant in Australian approaches to conceptualise, measure and evaluate poverty and well-being. The Capability Approach brings capabilities and functionings into the informational space, highlighting issues of equality as well as diversity, making it useful for normative evaluations of poverty and well-being especially in an affluent country like Australia.

AssessingPovertyWell-beingAustraliATASA10.pdf