A Case of Capability Expansion or Capability Reduction? An Exploration of Loan Recipients’ Views of ICETEX: Colombia’s Higher Education Student Loans Institute

Abstract

A government-established student loans institute known as Instituto Colombiano de Credito Educativo y Estudios Tecnicos en el Exterior (ICETEX) has been instrumental in improving access to higher education in Colombia. This article uses the capability approach to analyze the ways in which ICETEX has contributed to loan recipients’ well-being and identify which capabilities loan recipients have reason to value. Evidence from qualitative interviews with eight participants reveals that, due to an intersecting set of conversion factors and capabilities, ICETEX both enables and constrains participants’ capabilities.