Women, Development and Social Justice in Côte d’Ivoire: Rethinking Social Policies through the Lens of Capabilities.

Overview

This chapter applies Amartya Sen’s capability approach to evaluate the effects of social policies in Côte d’Ivoire on women’s economic trajectories. It synthesizes qualitative evidence from women who received state support in financing, education, and training and subsequently altered their material and social circumstances. The analysis interrogates the extent to which existing policies expand real freedoms to act and choose, contrasting isolated cases of capability enhancement with widespread structural inaccessibility attributable to administrative, territorial, and informational barriers.

Methods and approach

The study adopts an ethnographic methodology deployed across urban and rural sites (Abidjan, Bouaké, Korhogo, Hermankono Diès, Férémandougou). Data consist of semi-structured qualitative interviews capturing expectations, experiences, and perceptions of social policy mechanisms, supplemented by observation of access pathways to credit, training, and public services. Analytically, the capability approach functions as the normative and evaluative framework, prioritizing conversion of resources into substantive freedoms and situating individual narratives within broader institutional and spatial constraints.

Results

Empirical findings reveal heterogeneity: a number of women leveraged state support to establish economic activities, secure financial autonomy, and gain social recognition, indicating that accessible and adapted policies can expand capabilities. Concurrently, the majority remained excluded not for lack of aspiration but due to systemic factors: convoluted administrative procedures, uneven territorial deployment of services, limited dissemination of information, and insufficient social protection. These barriers truncate conversion factors, preventing formal provisions from translating into real opportunities for most women.

Implications

Policy design should prioritize capability expansion by operationalizing five instrumental freedoms: incorporate women in policy design and evaluation to secure political freedoms; enhance economic facilities through targeted credit, vocational training, and adaptable financing instruments; equalize social opportunities by guaranteeing equitable access to education, health, and information across territories; implement transparency guarantees by simplifying administrative procedures and improving information dissemination; and strengthen protective security via reinforced social protection mechanisms. Evaluation metrics must shift from input-based indicators toward measures of actual freedoms and conversion outcomes to assess whether interventions produce sustainable inclusion and autonomy.