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RESPONSIBILITY AND CAPABILITY
Author(s) -
King Peter
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
economic affairs
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.24
H-Index - 18
eISSN - 1468-0270
pISSN - 0265-0665
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-0270.2010.02055.x
Subject(s) - blame , moral responsibility , competence (human resources) , law and economics , state responsibility , property (philosophy) , social responsibility , task (project management) , extension (predicate logic) , public relations , business , human rights , political science , sociology , law , economics , computer science , psychology , management , social psychology , epistemology , philosophy , programming language
This paper explores the issue of responsibility and links it to the concept of capability. The paper begins by looking at what it means to be responsible and connects this to the now common distinction in public policy between blame and task. It is argued that responsibility should be internalised rather than externalised and placed in the hands of the state. This can be done through the extension of property rights and so the paper offers a brief justification for the link between responsibility and property rights. The final part of the paper considers the ideas of capability and competence and uses these to argue for the placing of personal responsibility at the heart of public policy.