The place of the capability approach within sustainability economics

The connections between the capability approach and sustainability economics have been explored recently. I argue here that for engaging in a more substantive study of those connections, we must first understand the place of the capability approach within the history of economic thought, as a second stage of the revival of classical surplus theory. Once this is clear, we can then use the capability approach in order to specify concepts such as well-being, surplus, scarcity, and sustainable reproduction, which are essential for the development of sustainability economics. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.