Identity, Capabilities, and Changing Economics

John B. Davis is Professor Emeritus of Economics: Marquette University, University of Amsterdam. He is the author of Keynes's Philosophical Development, The Theory of the Individual in Economics, and Individuals and Identity in Economics, and a former co-author of the Journal of Economic Methodology.

'This book significantly narrows the gap in Amartya Sen's capability approach between what agency is and what agency does. Or the gap between who people are and what people choose. It is therefore not only an important elaboration of agency for the capability approach, but, at the same time, the book invites social economists to engage with the notion of capabilities. It is therefore one of those rare books that genuinely try to engage with different economic approaches with the purpose of refining both.' Irene van Staveren, Professor of Pluralist Development Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam

• Preface; Acknowledgements; Part I. The Failed Pathway and Exit Strategies: Introduction; 1. Objectivity in economics and the problem of the individual; 2. The untenability of the unembedded Homo economicus; 3. The 'reconciliation problem' and an individuality reconstruction problem; Part II. Rebuilding the Individual Conception: Introduction; 4. Adaptive reflexive individuals: a capabilities conception of the person; 5. A general theory of social economic stratification: stigmatization, exclusion, and capability shortfalls; 6. Roads not taken yet to be taken: enhancing capabilities; Part III. Value and Subjectivity: Introduction; 7. Economics as a normative discipline: value dis-entanglement in an objective economics; 8. Individual realization? Rethinking subjectivity in economics; 9. Change in and changing economics; References; Index.