Overview

This book advances the Capability Approach as an ethical, people-centred framework for social impact assessment in development practice. Focusing on two Australian Government–funded WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) projects in rural Vietnam and Cambodia, it investigates how development interventions can expand—or constrain—people’s capabilities to live the lives they value. Although the projects share similar designs and implementation processes, a capability-informed analysis reveals distinct outcomes and subtle differences shaped by local contexts, social structures, and human agency. The book introduces an analytical framework grounded in three determinants of capability change—access to resources, effective agency, and socio-structural context—to explore how social inclusion and women’s empowerment unfold within complex realities. Moving beyond conventional performance reporting that counts inputs and outputs, the Capability lens brings people’s experiences, voices, and reasoning to the forefront. It offers scholars, practitioners, and policymakers a grounded model for understanding ethical, inclusive, and sustainable development.

Full Product Details

Author:   Lien Pham
Publisher:   Springer Verlag, Singapore
Imprint:   Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN:  

9789819561148

ISBN 10:   9819561140
Pages:   195
Publication Date:   05 March 2026
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Development, Ethics, and Agency: Introducing the Capability Approach for Social Impact Assessment.- Chapter 2: Evaluating Capability Change: The Three-Determinants Framework.- Chapter 3: Overview of the Vietnam Project.- Chapter 4: Understanding Social Inclusion through Capability Change: The Vietnam Story.- Chapter 5: Empowering Women through WASH Service Delivery: The Women’s Union in Rural Vietnam.- Chapter 6: Overview of the Cambodia Project.- Chapter 7: Opportunities of Social Inclusion: The Cambodia Story.- Chapter 8: Empowering Women in Rural Cambodia: The Role of the Cambodia Committee for Women and Children in WASH.- Chapter 9: A Comparative Capability Analysis of Vietnam and Cambodia.- Chapter 10: Reframing Social Impact Assessment through the Capability Approach.

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Author Information

Dr Lien Pham is a sociologist and development researcher whose work bridges education, social policy, and international development. Her research spans equity, empowerment, gender, and inclusion. Author of International Graduates Returning to Vietnam (2019) and Political Participation and Democratic Capability in Authoritarian States (2021), she advances ethical, inclusive, and capability-informed approaches to development and social impact.

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