The Program in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities aims to give students a rigorous understanding of human well-being, both in the US and internationally.  Well-being reflects not just levels of income and assets, but also human capabilities - what people are able to do and be. The program therefore acknowledges the central importance of a variety of additional influences on well-being, such as gender equality, racial and ethnic disparities, health status, education, human rights, political freedoms, and material necessities like food and shelter. A key goal of the program is to enrich students' understanding of poverty and inequality, so that, regardless of their choice of occupation, they will maintain a longstanding commitment to enhancing the well-being of all people.
   
    This interdisciplinary program combines high caliber undergraduate courses with opportunities for students to work with agencies that help disadvantaged communities and people.  The summer internship program places students with organizations where they work directly with clients to enhance their capabilities.
   
    Although impediments to human well-being take many forms, barriers to the capabilities of women and girls persist across all societies.  In acknowledging gender inequality as a powerful influence on disparities in human well-being across the globe, the academic component of the program, including the content of core and required courses, recognizes gender as a central analytic category. Although individual courses may or may not have a primary gender focus, the structure of the program emphasizes the importance of gender and sexuality in understanding poverty and human well-being.
   
    Established in 2006 with the generous support of the Bridgeway Foundation, the pilot program is housed in the Center for the Study of Women, Gender, and Sexuality (CSWGS), which includes over forty affiliated faculty. The program aims to collaborate closely with other centers at Rice: the Center on Race, Religion, and Urban Life; the Humanities Research Center; the Americas Research Center; the Boniuk Center for Religious Tolerance; and the Center for Civic Engagement.

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