Diverse causes, similar outcomes: reassessing the means and ends of development policy employing multiple causality and capabilities

Abstract

Development policy, like all public policy, is based on a strong notion of causality. Interventions take place in the expectation they will produce development. Two elements are relevant. First, given the variety of contexts and people where these interventions take place, it is of the greatest importance to study assumptions regarding the causal mechanisms that lead to certain outcomes since these are largely determined by the assumptions. Second, the very concept of development that influences public policy warrants discussion, since it is not only a descriptive notion but also a normative one. In a bid to contribute to the design and analysis of public policy, both elements are, therefore, addressed in this article. In the case of causality, it argues in favor of multiple causality and suggests that it should be addressed using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). As regards the concept of development, it advocates a focus on people and proposes the human development and capability approach.