Human Capabilities and Instrumental Freedoms Relationship: An Empirical Investigation
Abstract
This study aims to explore the role of instrumental freedoms in enhancing human capabilities and the process of human development. Specifically, it examines the effects of political freedoms, economic facilities, transparency guarantees, social opportunities, and protective security on health, education, housing, employment, and communication and mobility capabilities. The study employs a hierarchical structural model using the partial least squares approach and the repeated indicator method. It analyzes data from sixty countries to assess the impact of instrumental freedoms on capabilities, considering both interconnectedness of freedoms and the moderating effect of economic development levels. The study reveals three major findings: 1) Instrumental freedoms significantly affect the selected capabilities. 2) When interconnected, these freedoms reinforce each other, amplifying their impact on human capabilities. 3) Multi-group analysis indicates that instrumental freedoms positively and significantly influence capabilities in both developed and developing countries. Freedom plays both a constitutive and instrumental role in the development process. The interconnectedness of instrumental freedoms enhances their effectiveness in promoting human capabilities. Public policies should be designed to empower individuals by improving at least three essential freedoms: political freedoms, economic facilities, and transparency guarantees. This approach is crucial to enabling people to live according to their aspirations and to furthering human development.
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