Work That Builds Human Capability
I am delighted to announce that our edited volume, Capabilities at Work: The Added Value of the Capability Model for Well-Being and Work, is now freely available as Open Access through Cambridge University Press.
van der Klink, J., & Rothmann, S. (Eds.). (2026). Capabilities at Work: The Added Value of the Capability Model for Well-Being and Work. Cambridge University Press.
This is, for me, one of the most meaningful undertakings of my professional life — not only because of the importance of the ideas it contains, but because of the remarkable people who made it possible.
A Word of Gratitude
I want to begin by expressing my deep appreciation to my co-editor, Prof. Jac van der Klink (Emeritus Professor, Tilburg University; Extraordinary Professor, North-West University). Jac has had a profound and lasting impact on my thinking about the capability approach as it applies to work. His intellectual depth, his moral commitment to social justice, and his generosity as a scholar and human being have shaped this book in ways that go far beyond what any chapter list can convey. It has been an honour and a privilege to work alongside him.
I am equally grateful to all the contributing authors who brought this book to life — a remarkable group of scholars from across the globe:
Wilmar Schaufeli, Ute Bültmann, Sandra Brouwer, Femke Abma, Alex Burdorf, Fred Zijlstra, Gert Jan van der Wilt, Sridhar Venkatapuram, Leoni van der Vaart, Roland Blonk, Sylvie Boermans, Patricia Welch Saleeby, Hans van Ees, Amber Kersten, Hanneke van Heijster, Irmgard Borghouts, Marc van Veldhoven, Suzette Ragadu, Neil Barnard, Annelisa Murangi, Margot Joosen, Patricia van Casteren, Jan Meerman, Henry Lewis, Gaston Dollevoet, Benedikte Schaapveld, Kim Janssens, Jasper Van Assche, Blessed Ngwenya, Mirna Nel, Bianca Arendse, Tessa de Wet, Thapelo ChaaCha, and Marius Stander.
Each one brought their expertise, their passion, and their unique perspective. This book truly belongs to all of you.
Special Thanks to Our Sponsors
The Open Access publication of this book was made possible through the generous support of North-West University and the Deanery of the Faculty of Humanities, with particular thanks to Prof. Dumi Moyo and Prof. Mirna Nel for their commitment to making scholarly work accessible to all. I am also deeply grateful to Marianne Holleman, Director of The Knowledge Centre for Labor Expertise (the Netherlands), for her role in sponsoring the Open Access edition.
The Foreword: Voices from the North and the South
The Foreword of Capabilities at Work was written by two people who, in my view, embody what this book is about — not just through their scholarship, but through who they are. Marianne Holleman (the Netherlands) and Prof. Valerie Møller (South Africa) — representing, as symbolised on the book’s cover, the Global North and the Global South — bring together perspectives that are too rarely in genuine dialogue. My respect for both Marianne and Valerie, as professionals and as human beings, is immense. Their foreword sets the tone for a book that is, at its heart, about what it means to work with dignity in an unequal world.
What the Book Covers
Capabilities at Work is structured in three parts, spanning 15 chapters that together offer a comprehensive account of the capability approach as a theoretical and practical framework for work, well-being, and social justice.
Part I: The Capability Model in Relation to Work
• Chapter 1: An introduction to the Capability Model for Work
• Chapter 2: Capabilities, sustainability, and well-being at work
• Chapter 3: The capability approach and contributive justice
• Chapter 4: The paradox of capability assessment and theories of justice
• Chapter 5: The integrative aspects of the capability approach
• Chapter 6: Integrating the capability approach with other theories of employee health and well-being
Part II: Applications of the Capability Model at Different Levels in the Organisation
• Chapter 7: Introducing justice into the governance of corporations
• Chapter 8: Linking the capability approach to strategic and inclusive human resource management
• Chapter 9: The capability model applied to working individuals — decent and flourishing work
• Chapter 10: Practical applications of the capability approach
Part III: Work Capabilities in Different Contexts
• Chapter 11: Cross-cultural perspectives on the capability model
• Chapter 12: Decent work and social justice from the vantage point of the Global South — decoloniality and the capability approach as parrhesia
• Chapter 13: Work capabilities in different occupations and countries
• Chapter 14: The capability approach as a guiding framework for leadership
• Chapter 15: Future work and the capability approach — digitalisation, globalisation, and climate change
Read the Book
Published under a Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence, Capabilities at Work is freely accessible to researchers, practitioners, policymakers, students, and anyone with an interest in making work more humane, equitable, and meaningful.
Read and download the book here: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/capabilities-at-work/2FCF34B1EDDC1514A8ACF179CDE49970
