This chapter examines how the Capability Approach (CA) can be integrated with four influential theories of work, health, and well-being: the International Classification of Functioning (ICF), the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), and the Integrative Model of Behavioral Prediction (IMBP). The authors argue that the CA provides a normative framework focused on people’s real opportunities to achieve what they value, while the other models offer explanatory mechanisms for understanding how these opportunities are created, constrained, and translated into outcomes.

The ICF helps operationalize capabilities through functioning and contextual factors; the JD-R model explains how job demands and resources influence capability development; SDT clarifies the role of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in transforming capabilities into well-being; and the IMBP shows how intentions, skills, and environmental conditions shape behavior. Together, these frameworks provide a richer understanding of sustainable employability and human flourishing, highlighting the importance of both individual agency and supportive social, organizational, and policy environments (download full chapter).