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Can equal resources leave people with unequal freedoms?

The same resources can support different capabilities under different personal and social conditions.

EconomicsThinker · Selected readingBeginner friendly
Background and goal

No prior study required. Read the assigned passage; the route is an introduction, not a survey of the whole subject.

Compare two people with the same income but different access to transport and care; explain what an income-only measure misses.

Your pathway

4 steps · 3 hours
  1. 01

    Begin in fifteen minutes

    0.25h · week 1
    Reading notes and task
    First fifteen minutesWrite your initial answer to “Can equal resources leave people with unequal freedoms?” in three sentences. Keep it to compare with your final answer.
    Your outputThree-sentence starting answer
  2. 02

    Read the argument

    1h · week 1
    Amartya Sen: Nobel Lecture

    Amartya Sen · reference

    Opening third of the Nobel Lecture; record the argument rather than the award biography.

    Free full text

    Open the reading
    Reading notes and task

    Amartya Sen: Nobel Lecture. Social choice, capabilities and the evaluation of development. Distinguish resources from the real opportunities people have to use them.

    Try thisRead Opening third of the Nobel Lecture; record the argument rather than the award biography.. Mark one claim, its reason and a passage you do not yet understand.
    Your outputAnnotated argument
    Check your understanding

    Answer this question in your own words: Can equal resources leave people with unequal freedoms?

    Hint

    Name the claim, then explain why a reader might accept it.

    Compare with an example answer

    The same resources can support different capabilities under different personal and social conditions.

    What to look for

    • States a claim that addresses the question
    • Connects the claim to a passage or observation
    • Separates the author’s argument from personal agreement

    Common mistake: Summarising a biography instead of explaining the argument.

    Start this pathway to keep your answers in My learning.

  3. 03

    Try the idea

    1h · week 1
    Reading notes and task
    Try thisCompare two people with the same income but different access to transport and care; explain what an income-only measure misses.
    Your outputWorked example
    Check your understanding

    What would make your activity a convincing example?

    Hint

    Compare two people with the same income but different access to transport and care; explain what an income-only measure misses.

    Compare with an example answer

    A useful response carries out the task: Compare two people with the same income but different access to transport and care; explain what an income-only measure misses. It records the observation or passage used and explains how it bears on the question.

    What to look for

    • Completes the specific task
    • Shows evidence or reasoning rather than only a conclusion
    • Identifies an alternative explanation or reading

    Common mistake: Presenting an opinion without showing the example it rests on.

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  4. 04

    Explain what changed

    0.75h · week 1
    Reading notes and task
    Try thisRevise your initial answer. Include one passage, one reason and one limit: A capability comparison must explain which freedoms matter and how they are assessed.
    Your outputRevised answer with a reading reference
    Check your understanding

    What is one conclusion this reading does not establish?

    Hint

    Test the boundary: A capability comparison must explain which freedoms matter and how they are assessed.

    Compare with an example answer

    A capability comparison must explain which freedoms matter and how they are assessed.

    What to look for

    • States a specific limit
    • Explains why the reading does not warrant the stronger conclusion
    • Distinguishes a limitation from dismissing the work

    Common mistake: Treating a useful interpretation as an unrestricted fact.

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All 1 resources

Background, different viewpoints, and further reading.

  • Amartya Sen: Nobel Lecture

    Amartya Senreferencecore

    Social choice, capabilities and the evaluation of development. Distinguish resources from the real opportunities people have to use them.

    Opening third of the Nobel Lecture; record the argument rather than the award biography.

Continue learning

  • Study Amartya Sen

    Introduces the question and vocabulary used in the longer selected reading.

    EconomicsSome background