The Political Economy of Media Capabilities: The Capability Approach in Media Policy

In this article, the implications and application possibilities of the capability approach by Amartya Sen for normative discussions about media policy are explored. It gives an overview of some important streams of heterodox political-economic approaches in economics and their role in a “mediatized” world and centers on two concepts of major interest for media policies: the potential media capabilities can have for media users in a mediatized economy, and the important role of publicity and mass media when questions of justice are concerned. For both issues, the capability approach offers interesting insights from a political-economic perspective.