Citizenlab on Aspirations, Capabilities and Transformative Institutions (8-9 February 2024)
The February meeting of the Involve consortium ended with a Citizenlab on “Aspirations, Capabilities and Transformative Institutions”. This lab brought together researchers from different disciplines, some of whom are part of the Involve network, to explore how the capacity to aspire relates to human development, defined by Amartya Sen as the expansion of people’s real freedom to live the kind of life they have reason to value (Sen 1999, 18). During two days, we discussed the theoretical, empirical and methodological implications of the capacity to aspire and how it relates to the capability to aspire. In the framework of the Involve project that analyses the role of social policies and services in promoting trust and democratic participation, these concepts help to address the relation between welfare institutions and the empowerment of vulnerable people.