Health, Disability and the Capability Approach: An Introduction

Abstract

This special issue of the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities focuses on two areas of substantial and growing importance to the human development and capability approach: disability and health. The research on disability, health and the capability approach has been diverse in the topics it covers, and the conceptual frameworks and methodologies it uses, beginning over a decade and a half ago in health (Ruger 1998) and more than a decade ago in disability (Baylies 2002).1 We are pleased to share a set of articles in these two areas. The first set of articles focuses on disability, while the second set of articles focuses on health and the health capability paradigm (HCP), in particular.