Abstract

Against the dominant emphasis on economic growth as an indicator of a nation's quality of life, the capability approach has insisted on the importance of the capabilities, what people are actually able to do and to be. In addition to economic assets, human development depends on social assets, such as welfare and education systems, and political ones, such as civil rights and political participation. The freedom to act is represented by the possibilities and opportunities to access diverse courses of action due to individual resources and values. The centrality of the subjects with their freedom to act is thus to emphasize also in new strategic vision of secondary education in Italy.