A Capability Approach to Evaluating well-being and Equality in Housing: Clear Conceptual Difference but Unclear Practical Difference?

This study empirically examines the difference of the capability
approach to evaluating well-being and equality in housing, with
data from the Netherlands. Conventionally, well-being/inequality in
housing have been evaluated by measures of economic/material
means for housing or satisfaction. In theory, these evaluation
approaches overlook some important normative concerns, and
applying the capability approach – evaluating the capabilities to
reside in ways a person values – can compensate for such weakness.
However, its practical difference appears as yet contested. This
study reviews the sources of such contesting views, and clarifies
them by comparing the capability-oriented and conventional measures
of housing deprivation in terms of their identification of
deprived groups that welfare policies are supposed to address.
The results showed that the overlap between the deprived groups
was rather limited, revealing blind spots in the current welfare
policies for housing and the informational benefits of capabilityoriented
evaluation. This study adds implications for measurement
methods.