Using the capability approach and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis in development policy evaluation

Abstract

Policy evaluation is interested in studying what works, for whom, and under which circumstances. That is, it is interested in outcomes and their causes. Analyzing the former involves particular challenges when dealing with development policy since development is a contested concept. Therefore, it is pertinent to discuss the ends of policy. The Capability Approach (CA), a people-centered approach that defines development as freedom, is described. For the analysis of the means to those ends, which is the study of causality, fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA), a method useful to account for multiple causality, is introduced. Since policies are likely to establish similar goals for different beneficiaries from different contexts, this article argues that employing the CA and fsQCA in tandem for the assessment of policy can prove rewarding.