two prominent participatory methodologies, it criticizes their lack of a systematic method for identifying changes of values by participants themselves and for devolving real control over a decision to the lowest level capable of making it. In response, the author described a novel method of impact assessment which would complement and improve available assessment tools. Chapter 6 also reviewed methodologies for evaluating the economic impact of development activities such as costbenefit analysis (CBA) with an assessment of other human impacts through social impact assessment (SIA) and participatory social assessments. It considers a methodology by which information can be gathered both on the expansions and contractions of valuable functionings.
The seventh chapter comprises case studies of three small Oxfam activities in Pakistan on which both cost-benefit analysis and other assessment of impacts were applied. The case studies were conducted with the aim of developing a participatory method for evaluating development activities which field staff could implement and which would facilitate the kind of self-direction and scrutiny of values advocated by Sen's capability approach. The lessons from the three case studies could have been more informative about cross-cultural differences in the effects of participatory activities if the projects had been from different countries and regions.
Valuing Freedoms could have placed more emphasis on the issue of how to aggregate valued capabilities when communities disagree about social priorities-an issue which still confronts Sen's capability approach. Overall, the book is well-referenced and contributes to the development of Sen's capability approach. However, it is not an easy book to read because it assumes that the reader is familiar with Sen's work, development economics, development ethics, philosophy and welfare economics. Valuing Freedoms made it clear that we should go beyond economics to operationalise the approach and the book is a good reading for economists and non-economists interested in the capability approach.