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Human Development &
Capability Association

Agency, Well-Being and Justice

Category Archives: Uncategorized

Using the Capability Approach to Conceptualise Wellbeing

18:30 – 20.00 BST (GMT +1) (19.30 – 21.00 CEST/GMT +2)

The capability approach is one of the many different frameworks that can be used to conceptualise well-being. This seminar will address the following questions: How does one use the capability approach to conceptualise wellbeing? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the capability approach to conceptualise well-being? For which purposes is this an appropriate framework, and in which contexts should one consider using another framework? What are the consequences for the deeply inter- and multidisciplinary nature of the capability approach to its conceptualisation of wellbeing? And finally, what are some points of attention to keep in mind if one wants to use this framework not just for conceptualising well-being, but also for empirical research and policy making?

Ingrid Robeyns (Prof. dr.) is a political philosopher and economist working primarily on issues in theories of justice, the ethics of institutions and applied ethics. She holds the chair in Ethics of Institutions at The Ethics Institute at Utrecht University (the Netherlands), and directs The Fair Limits Project – funded through an ERC Consolidator Grant – which examines the distributive justice and moral permissibility of having too much personal valuable goods, and how a distributive rule should include an upper limit. Broadly, her research also includes the capability approach, social justice, institutional change in law and policy, gender studies, the ethics of autism and basic income. Her most recent book titled 'Wellbeing, Freedom and Social Justice: The Capability Approach Re-examined' (2017) is free to download from Open Book Publishers. Ingrid Robeyns served as the 8th president (2018-2020) of The Human Development and Capability Association and is elected (for life) as a member of the Netherlands Royal Academy (KNAW). She actively holds several editorial roles, as associate editor of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Basic Income Studies and is member of the editorial board of Economics and Philosophy.

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2021 Webinar Series:
Multidimensional Well-Being: Concepts, Measurement, & Application
April – July 2021

The webinar series brings together and into conversation established scholars, junior researchers, and practitioners working to conceptualise, measure, and improve multidimensional well-being. It addresses and allows for discussion regarding both long-standing and contemporary issues regarding the conceptualization and measurement of well-being, with a special focus on applications related to the Capability Approach.

General themes running through the series include concepts of well-being, philosophies of well-being measurement, methodological issues including formal procedures for multidimensional measurement, the role of participation and deliberation, empirical applications and challenges, policy uses and implications, and current research frontiers.

The series is hosted by a group of junior HDCA scholars and aims at providing a forum for exchanges and discussions between junior and senior researchers and practitioners, and in combining their competencies. All are welcome.
For the full webinar schedule, updates, and to register, please visit our website by clicking here.

Upcoming Webinar Series Themes

1. Democratising Measurement: A Case Study from Well-Being Public Policy
Anna Alexandrova & Mark Fabian
6th April, Tuesday, 11am – 12.30pm BST (GMT +1)
2. Using the Capability Approach to Conceptualise Well-Being
Ingrid Robeyns
19th April, Monday, 6.30pm – 8.00pm BST (GMT +1)
3. Methodological Options and Challenges for Measuring Multidimensional Well-Being*

4. Participatory Approaches to Well-Being Measurement*

5. The Development and Application of Multidimensional Well-being Measures*

6. Multidimensional Well-Being Measures as Policy-Instruments*

7. Limitations and Frontiers: Concepts, Measures, and Applications*

* Presenter and event details TBC.

Questions/Suggestions? Contact the organizing committee: 2021multidimensional@gmail.com

Webinar Discussion: Democratising Measurement: A Case Study from Well-Being Public Policy.

Webinar with Anna Alexandrova & Mark Fabian
6th April 2021, Tuesday, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm BST (GMT +1)

There is now widespread recognition that well-being, educational success, fairness, equality, poverty, etc. are value-laden. There is less agreement on a responsible way of measuring their value. This is a tricky issue for public policy because governments need effective measures for benchmarking, impact evaluation, and other forms of accountability, but would ideally like to leave value judgements to citizens. Our research explores the potential of coproduction mechanisms to chart a course through these dilemmas.

We'll present a case study from our work around coproducing a theory and measure/s of thriving for the national poverty charity Turn2Us. These outputs will inform their work in a variety of ways, including assessment criteria for giving grants and the charity's campaigning work in the social policy space. We'll explain our rationale for coproduction, discuss our preliminary results in comparison to other efforts underway in well-being public policy, and identify some of the lessons learned for applying coproduction in value-laden policy domains.

Our results indicate that 'off the shelf' theories and measures of value-laden concepts developed by experts often require substantial translation and tailoring to be suitable to applied policy. This underscores the need to develop more 'bottom up' approaches to measurement.

Speakers:
Anna Alexandrova is a Reader in Philosophy of Science at the Department of History and Philosophy of Science in University Cambridge and a Fellow of King's College, studying how scientists navigate morally charged and complex phenomena and the role of formal tools such as models and indicators in their scholarly and public work. Since 2018, Dr. Alexandrova is the Principal Investigator on Expertise Under Pressure project at the Centre for Humanities and Social Change, and up until recently served as a Programme Director in Philosophy and Ethics of AI at the Leverhulme Centre for Future of Intelligence.

Mark Fabian is a Research Associate (postdoc) at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy in the University of Cambridge. His research explores well-being from an interdisciplinary perspective, with a particular focus on the ethical and epistemological issues involved in translating well-being insights from psychological science into public policy.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/democratising-measurement-a-case-study-from-well-being-public-policy-tickets-147848084601#

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2021 Webinar Series: Multidimensional Well-Being: Concepts, Measurement, & Application
April – July 2021

The webinar series brings together and into conversation established scholars, junior researchers, and practitioners working to conceptualise, measure, and improve multidimensional well-being. It addresses and allows for discussion regarding both long-standing and contemporary issues regarding the conceptualization and measurement of well-being, with a special focus on applications related to the Capability Approach.

General themes running through the series include concepts of well-being, philosophies of well-being measurement, methodological issues including formal procedures for multidimensional measurement, the role of participation and deliberation, empirical applications and challenges, policy uses and implications, and current research frontiers.

The series is hosted by a group of junior HDCA scholars and aims at providing a forum for exchanges and discussions between junior and senior researchers and practitioners, and in combining their competencies. All are welcome.

For the full webinar schedule, updates, and to register, please visit our website: http://2021webinarseries.com/

Upcoming Webinar Series Themes

1. Democratising Measurement: A Case Study from Well-Being Public Policy
Anna Alexandra & Mark Fabian
6th April, Tuesday, 11am BST (GMT +1)

2. Conceptualizing Well-Being
Ingrid Robeyns
19th April, Monday, 6.30pm BST (GMT +1)

3. Methodological Options and Challenges for Measuring Multidimensional Well-Being*

4. Participatory Approaches to Well-Being Measurement*

5. The Development and Application of Multidimensional Well-being Measures*

6. Multidimensional Well-Being Measures as Policy-Instruments*

7. Limitations and Frontiers: Concepts, Measures, and Applications*

* Presenter and event details TBC.

Questions/Suggestions? Contact the organizing committee: 2021multidimensional@gmail.com

RECORDING AVAILABLE: Exploring COVID from an Indigenous People perspective

The HDCA Indigenous People Thematic Group present: Exploring COVID from an Indigenous People perspective.
Friday, June 26, 2020 at 5:30 PM – 7 PM UTC+01

View the recording:
https://hd-ca.org/videos/hdca-webinar-exploring-covid-from-an-indigenous-people-perspective

Download the list of panelists

The indigenous experience is very different than that of the larger country where they live. Indigenous people often are marginalized, unseen, and forgotten – resulting in a very different experience of COVID than other groups. From a history of pandemics and indigenous beliefs, we will learn how COVID affects indigenous people and what it means as we explore the impact of COVID on indigenous people examining the intersection of health, well-being and sustainable development.

EUROMOD training course, 25-27 March 2020

The aim of the course is to provide academics, policy practitioners and other interested users with an introduction to the concepts, structure and functioning of EUROMOD. EUROMOD is a state-of-the art tax-benefit microsimulation model linking
micro-data from household surveys and policy legislation in a single user interface. It allows for complex policy impact analysis, such as evaluations of policy reforms in terms of poverty, inequality, work incentives and government budgets, assessments of
EU-wide policies or estimation of the impact of changing population characteristics on the redistributive effect of existing policies. EUROMOD covers all 28 EU Member States.

The course will cover the basics of tax-benefit microsimulation, the logic and structure behind EUROMOD, working with EUROMOD’s user interface, input data, EUROMOD’s modelling ‘language’ and using documentation. The course combines lectures with live demonstrations of the model. Participants also have the opportunity to carry out a number of hands-on exercises to test and refine their understanding of the model.

If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please complete this application form. The closing date for applications is 13 January 2020. All candidates will be informed whether their applications have been accepted by 27 January 2020.

Start and finish date : 25 Mar 2019 - 9:30am to 27 Mar 2020 - 5:30pm
Venue: ISER, Essex University
https://www.euromod.ac.uk/events/2019/12/03/euromod-training-course-25-27-march-2020

Call for Papers: Health and Poverty – 2020 Salzburg Conference

Call for Papers:

Health and Poverty

2020 Salzburg Conference in interdisciplinary poverty research

2 & 3 July 2020, University of Salzburg

​Submission deadline: 31 January 2020

Conference website: https://www.poverty-conference.org/

The Centre for Ethics and Poverty Research, University of Salzburg, invites the submission of proposals for single papers, thematic panels (2, 4 or 6 papers), and roundtable sessions (3-5 discussants plus 1 chair) in all areas of poverty research but special attention will be given to those concerned with the focus theme of health and poverty.

Health and poverty are interrelated in both rich and poor countries: poverty worsens the subjective health status and leading to a range of diseases and developmental disorders; people with health problems and disabilities are more often poor and socially excluded than the rest of the population. In addition to the search for causal links between poverty and health at the local and global levels, other research questions arise, some of which should be mentioned here as examples: What influence does poverty have on the subjective and objective state of health; how is this experienced and coped with by people in poverty? How can effective and adequate health care be ensured for poor people; which groups of the population are particularly confronted with challenges and difficult to reach? What role do age, gender, sexual orientation, cultural or ethnic identity or social status play in the context of poverty and health?

This conference aims to bring together researchers and scholars from different disciplines, approaches, backgrounds and experiences working on the complex and manifold relation of health and poverty. Papers exploring normative issues of (social and global) justice, human rights or ethics in relation to health and poverty are welcomed. Scholars working in the global south are particularly encouraged to apply.

The registration fee for participants is 100€ and covers the conference folder, a guided city tour on Friday, coffe breaks, two lunch snacks and the conference dinner on Thursday. Students as well as particpiants from countries classified as low-income or lower-middle income economies by the World Bank pay a subsidized fee of 75€.

Conference website: https://www.poverty-conference.org/

ISA RC28 conference on social inequality and social mobility in comparative perspective

ISA RC28 Summer Meeting 2019
Princeton, New Jersey
Thursday, August 15 - Saturday, August 17
The International Sociological Association’s Research Committee 28 invites all scholars working in the field of social stratification and social mobility to contribute to its next annual Summer Meeting.
The 2019 meeting will take place at Princeton University, August 15-17, 2019, and is hosted by Yu Xie, University Professor of Sociology and the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies.
Paper and/or poster submissions that address this theme are especially encouraged. As the conference will feature regular sessions on all fields of stratification research (e.g. on intergenerational mobility, education, labor markets, gender, family, migration and ethnicity, economic inequality, poverty, life courses, health and well-being, political sociology, methodology), any contribution relevant to the broad research agenda of the RC28 on social stratification, mobility and inequality is welcome.
All submissions are subject to peer review by the program committee. Authors will be informed of the committee's decision by May 1, 2019.
To apply, visit our Submissions page. Submission deadline is March 1, 2019.

Master Programme in Human Development and Food Security

The Master in Human Development and Food Security is a truly international course that draws students from all over the world. Professors are from prestigious universities and International organizations in United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy. Teaching and learning experience are well-structured, practical issues are discussed and students get to meet high level professionals by participating in international debates and global discussions on trends in human development and food security. Our innovative partnerships with United Nations Agencies as WFP and with many other NGOs and organizations, offer students the opportunity to garner substantial experience through group research, internships and consultancy positions.
The Program consists of 12 months, with lectures held in Rome (October - July), followed by an Internship/dissertation/field research in Italy or abroad (August – October). The theoretical part of the Master includes five modules: Development Economics, Quantitative Techniques, Human Development, Food Security, and Rural Development. The Module on Human Development, in particular, consists of about 80 hours of lectures held by several experts involved in the HDCA Association.

All the master activities are in English. The Master comprised a total of 60 credits (ECTS) for a total of 1.500 hours.
Students have to discuss their final thesis or internship report again in Rome.
To apply and to have info about the costs, check the MASTER HDFS website
http://www.masterhdfs.org/masterHDFS/?page_id=54
Threes scholarship are available. Please find more info at this link:
http://www.masterhdfs.org/masterHDFS/?page_id=59

Sustainability and Human Rights: Ethical Dimensions of an Urban Agenda

Dear Friends,

This year's conference and our pre-conference events are right around the corner. A few spots remain (but only 1 for the food prep at Martha's table)! Even if you responded to our interest poll in May, we ask that you formally register now.

The HDCA Ethics and Development, Human Rights, and Sustainability Thematic Groups have again teamed up with the International Development Ethics Association to offer three exciting pre-conference events. You are invited to join us for all three, or just one or two.

The first event is part-one of our Activation Day. On Wednesday, September 9, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm (10:00 – 13:00) participants will volunteer doing food prep with Martha’s Table, a local organization that focuses on feeding the more than 93,000 hungry residents, including 31,000 hungry children, of Washington DC (http://marthastable.org/). Participation is limited to 12 volunteers, so please register right away at the link below or here. (Those who expressed interest via our poll in May will have priority but must still register to secure their spot.) There is no fee for this event.

The second event, part-two of our Activation Day, is a two-hour riverboat tour of the Anacostia River, hosted by the Anacostia Watershed Society (http://www.anacostiaws.org). Join us from 3:00 – 5:00 pm (15:00 – 17:00) to learn about the interplay of sustainability, the river, and the Metro region. Space is limited to 20 people. The fee for this event is $20: a $10 contribution to our hosts to cover part of their costs, and $10 toward the van rental to get us there.

See the full-day program attached. You may register for one or both Activation Day events.

The third event is our workshop entitled Sustainability and Human Rights: Ethical Dimensions of an Urban Agenda. This event will take place at the conference venue at Georgetown University from 8:30 am – 12:15 pm on Thursday, September 10, 2015, with lunch to follow courtesy of HDCA. The event will consist of two panels. The first panel focuses on Human Rights as LGBTQI Rights internationally, as a United States immigration issue, and finally within Washington DC. The second panel looks at Sustainability--broadly defined to include community, human, and environmental dimensions--in Washington DC and its environs. See the attached program, including speakers.

For the workshop, we ask that working "Northerners" contribute $5 to help defray the cost of the workshop. Students, not-working Northerners, and participants from the Global South, any spare change is appreciated but not necessary. We can accommodate a large number of participants to the workshop but we appreciate your early registration so that we can plan.

Please register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1aprw4ff_n5gh3hhCGEj6jXDIQDMONy5O-9knojIg-8M/viewform?usp=send_form

Thank you for your interest and support. We hope to see you all in Washington, DC, in September.

Andrew Crabtree, Lori Keleher, and Stacy Kosko

SEMINARIO SOBRE DESARROLLO HUMANO EN REGIONES TRANSFRONTERIZAS EDICION 2015

El Centro de Investigación en Alimentación y Desarrollo, El Colegio de Sonora, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Universidad de Arizona, Universidad Estatal de Arizona, Universidad de Sonora y la Universidad Estatal de Sonora

CONVOCAN
Al: Seminario sobre Desarrollo Humano en la Región
Transfronteriza Sonora Arizona
SDHT Edición 2015-2016
Ponencias, conferencias magistrales y debate académico
http://www.ues.mx/Seminario2015/

OBJETIVO GENERAL

El objetivo del SDHT es reunir a académicos, profesionistas, y líderes comunitarios interesados en el campo del desarrollo humano para que compartan experiencias y dialoguen con respecto a las posibles formas de enfocar el estudio y la transformación de los factores que influyen en las oportunidades, capacidades, habilidades y la calidad de vida de las poblaciones transfronterizas, especialmente la región Sonora-Arizona. En esta edición, el seminario examinará el desarrollo humano desde la perspectiva de la vulnerabilidad y resiliencia centrándose en cuatro ejes temáticos:
• Desarrollo Humano Sustentable: Capacidad de adaptación al cambio climático
• Migración y Movilidad Humana Transfronteriza: Retos del mañana, priorizando los problemas del presente
• Economía regional y Desarrollo Humano: Creciendo con equidad en la región Sonora-Arizona
• Oportunidades para el desarrollo humano: El rol de la salud y la nutrición
Las ponencias presentadas en el SDHT pueden provenir de cualquier disciplina y tener un enfoque teórico, empírico, o practico; se invita que las ponencias involucren, apliquen, señalen, o provean un punto de vista específicamente relevante al enfoque de las capacidades y/o el paradigma del desarrollo humano en contextos de frontera.

EJES TEMÁTICOS
1. DESARROLLO HUMANO SUSTENTABLE: CAPACIDAD DE ADAPTACIÓN AL CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO

Temas: Adaptabilidad al cambio climático; derecho humano al agua; pobreza energética y; derecho a un medio ambiente sano, equilibrado y seguro.
Sesión programada para el 19 de noviembre de 2015, sede Nogales, Sonora
Fecha límite para recepción de propuestas: 28 de septiembre de 2015
Coordinadores de eje:
Rigoberto García (COLEF)
Gustavo Córdova (COLEF)
Jorge León (ECOSUR)

2. MIGRACIÓN Y MOVILIDAD HUMANA TRANSFRONTERIZA: RETOS DEL MAÑANA, PRIORIZANDO LOS PROBLEMAS DEL PRESENTE

Temas: Desarrollo humano en las poblaciones móviles de América Latina y Europa en perspectiva comparada; familias transnacionales separadas; derechos humanos de la niñez migrante; crisis humanitaria en el tránsito migratorio; retorno e inserción de niños, jóvenes y ancianos; viejos retos de la crisis migratoria del presente y; alternativas de políticas públicas para el retorno e inserción.
Sesión programada para el 20 de noviembre de 2015, sede Nogales, Sonora
Fecha límite para recepción de propuestas: 28 de septiembre de 2015
Coordinadores de eje:
José Guadalupe Rodríguez (UNISON)
Anna Ochoa O'Leary, (U de A)
Carlos Ovando (ASU)

3. ECONOMÍA REGIONAL Y DESARROLLO HUMANO: CRECIENDO CON EQUIDAD EN LA REGIÓN SONORA-ARIZONA
Temas: Integración e interdependencia económica; cooperación transfronteriza y gobernabilidad; Integración y asimetrías inter e intra regionales; crecimiento económico y; empleo, pobreza, bienestar y calidad de vida.
Sesión programada para el 11 de febrero de 2016 en Hermosillo, Sonora
Fecha límite para recepción de propuestas: 7 de diciembre de 2015
Coordinadores de eje:
Pablo Wong (CIAD)
Lorenia Velázquez (COLSON)
Liz Ileana Rodríguez (COLSON)
Francisco Lara (ASU)

4. OPORTUNIDADES PARA EL DESARROLLO HUMANO: EL ROL DE LA SALUD Y LA NUTRICIÓN

Temas: enfermedades crónicas no transmisibles (hipertensión, dislipidemias, obesidad, diabetes, cáncer,); acciones de educación, fomento y/o promoción de estilos de vida saludables; embarazo adolescente; infecciones reemergentes (mala absorción o intolerancias, Fiebre de las Montañas Rocosas, Dengue y Chikungunya).
Sesión programada para el 10 de marzo de 2016 en Hermosillo, Sonora
Fecha límite para recepción de propuestas: 11 de enero de 2016
Coordinadores del eje:
José Salado (UES)
Eduardo Gómez (UES)
Humberto Astiazarán (CIAD).

Costos de recuperación para publicación de memoria:
-Ponentes: $1,000.00 pesos o su equivalente en dólares (una vez aceptada la propuesta). Considerar un cargo extra de aproximadamente US $20 U.S. dólares cuando la transferencia se realiza desde Estados Unidos.

MAYORES INFORMES
Comité de Organización Interinstitucional
Contacto: Francisco Antonio Pérez Reyes, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, fperez@colef.mx, tel 656-667490, (656) 6168578

Registro en: www.ues.mx/Seminario2015

International Social Innovation Research Conference (ISIRC) 2015

There has been a considerable increase in public interest in social innovation over the last year, which calls for conceptual reflection by economists, sociologists, political scientists and philosophers. At two special ISIRC sessions on “the economic underpinning of social innovation”, papers on the conceptual foundations of social innovation and its place and implication for the political economy of regions, nation states and supra-national entity such as the EU will be presented. The papers draw on theories of power, of justice and human development, and of institutional change for a better understanding of social innovation.

More information: http://www.isircconference2015.com

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