Abstract
In the capability literature, there has been increasing concern about how to choose and define capabilities (Nussbaum, 1999; Robeyns, 2003) and specifically children’s capabilities (Phipps, 2002; Saito, 2003; see also Chapters 3, 4 and 9, this book). Phipps (2002), for instance, compares the wellbeing of children in the USA, Canada and Norway by measuring ten specific functionings (low birth-weighting, asthma, accidents, activity limitation, trouble concentrating, disobedience at school, bullying, anxiety, lying, hyperactivity). She utilizes some descriptive statistics and shows that Norwegian children have better outcomes than US and Canadian children. The paper of Saito (2003) explores the possible relation between capabilities and education; she mentions Sen’s interview on the application of the CA to children.
If a child does not want to be inoculated, and you nevertheless think it is a good idea for him/her to be inoculated, then the argument may be connected with the freedom that this person will have in the future by having the measles shot now. The child when it grows up must have more freedom. So when you are considering a child, you have to consider not only the child’s freedom now, but also the child’s freedom in the future1.
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© 2011 Tindara Addabbo and Maria Laura Di Tommaso
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Addabbo, T., Di Tommaso, M.L. (2011). Children’s Capabilities and Family Characteristics in Italy: Measuring Imagination and Play. In: Biggeri, M., Ballet, J., Comim, F. (eds) Children and the Capability Approach. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230308374_10
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