The Quality of life /

The idea of the quality of life is central to economic and social assessment and also to public policy, social legislation, and community programmes. However, the commonly used indicators of economic success such as per capita income are at best crude measures of the quality of life. There is a stro...

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Dades bibliogràfiques
Autor corporatiu: World Institute for Development Economics Research
Altres autors: Nussbaum, Martha Craven, 1947-, Sen, Amartya Kumar
Format: Llibre
Idioma:English
Publicat: Oxford [England] : New York : Clarendon Press ; Oxford University Press, 1993.
Col·lecció:Studies in development economics.
Matèries:
Classic Catalogue: View this record in Classic Catalogue
Descripció
Sumari:The idea of the quality of life is central to economic and social assessment and also to public policy, social legislation, and community programmes. However, the commonly used indicators of economic success such as per capita income are at best crude measures of the quality of life. There is a strong need for a systematic exploration of the content, reach, and relevance of the concept of the quality of life, and ways of making it concrete and usable. In this collection of essays, some leading economists and philosophers rise to that challenge and provide a wide-ranging investigation. The essays include examination of recent attempts to replace incomes and utilities by the concept of capability and also exploration of the classic Aristotelian accounts of human flourishing, which provide insights into capability-based assessment of the quality of life. Some underlying methodological problems are also examined, including cultural relativism and utility as a measure of advantage. Possibilities of application are discussed in the context of important practical problems, such as correcting gender-based inequalities, determining medical priorities, and promoting living standards. The overall result is a major contribution to the understanding and use of the idea of the quality of life.
Descripció de l’ítem:"A study prepared for the World Institute for Development Economics Research (WIDER) of the United Nations University."
Papers presented at a conference sponsored by the World Institute for Development Economics Research.
Descripció física:xi, 453 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Bibliografia:Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN:0195649656
0198283954 (acid-free paper) :
0198287976 (pbk. : acid-free paper)