Capabilities and Human Development

Individuals cannot flourish alone: Indeed, they cannot function alone. When they are born, the family provides their life support. In turn, families cannot function independently of the societies in which they are located. Being a member of a family, of a locality and of the larger society is an essential component of a flourishing existence. Since these groupings can provide good or bad conditions for the individual, it is not only their existence but also their nature that is relevant to human development. Thus a major task of the human development approach—which aims to assess human progress and identify the conditions for human flourishing—is to explore the nature of social institutions that are favourable for human flourishing, as against those that impede it.