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An Assessment of the Quality of Life in the European Union Based on the Social Indicators Approach

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  • Marco Grasso
  • Luciano Canova

Abstract

This article carries out a multidimensional analysis of welfare based on the social indicators approach aimed at assessing the quality of life in the 25 member countries of the European Union. It begins with description of the social indicators approach and provides some specifications on its most controversial points. It then specifies the principles on which the social indicators were selected, describes the indicators chosen, and details the methodology employed in the empirical analysis. Its results are subsequently explained, in terms of both quality of life as measured by the general and the partial Quality Of Life (QOL) Indexes, and their correlations with the two indicators commonly employed in the EU context for welfare analyses - GDP per capita and Unemployment Rate. The article also reports further information obtained by plotting the QOL Index against GDP per capita, the Unemployment Rate, and an indicator of subjective well-being.
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  • Marco Grasso & Luciano Canova, 2008. "An Assessment of the Quality of Life in the European Union Based on the Social Indicators Approach," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 87(1), pages 1-25, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:87:y:2008:i:1:p:1-25
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-007-9158-7
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    1. Marco Grasso, 2002. "Una misurazione del benessere nelle Regioni italiane," Working Papers 41, University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics, revised Jan 2002.
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    4. Ed Diener & Eunkook Suh, 1997. "Measuring Quality Of Life: Economic, Social, And Subjective Indicators," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 40(1), pages 189-216, January.
    5. M. Sirgy & Alex Michalos & Abbott Ferriss & Richard Easterlin & Donald Patrick & William Pavot, 2006. "The Qualityity-of-Life (QOL) Research Movement: Past, Present, and Future," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 76(3), pages 343-466, May.
    6. Eric A. Hanushek, "undated". "The Evidence on Class Size," Wallis Working Papers WP10, University of Rochester - Wallis Institute of Political Economy.
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    8. Dasgupta, Partha, 2001. "Human Well-Being and the Natural Environment," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199247882.
    9. Atkinson, Tony & Cantillon, Bea & Marlier, Eric & Nolan, Brian, 2002. "Social Indicators: The EU and Social Inclusion," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199253494.
    10. Sten Johansson, 2002. "Conceptualizing and Measuring Quality of Life for National Policy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 13-32, June.
    11. Amartya Sen, 1997. "Inequality, Unemployment and Contemporary Europe," STICERD - Development Economics Papers - From 2008 this series has been superseded by Economic Organisation and Public Policy Discussion Papers 07, Suntory and Toyota International Centres for Economics and Related Disciplines, LSE.
    12. Kitty Stewart, 2005. "Dimensions Of Well-Being In Eu Regions: Do GDP And Unemployment Tell us All We Need To Know?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 73(2), pages 221-246, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Karen Hofmann & Dominik Schori & Thomas Abel, 2013. "Self-Reported Capabilities Among Young Male Adults in Switzerland: Translation and Psychometric Evaluation of a German, French and Italian Version of a Closed Survey Instrument," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 723-738, November.
    2. Longduoqi A & Hang Ma & Mohan Wang & Biao Yang, 2022. "Research on Urban Community Elderly Care Facility Based on Quality of Life by SEM: Cases Study of Three Types of Communities in Shenzhen, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-23, August.
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    4. Jerzy Michalek & Nana Zarnekow, 2012. "Application of the Rural Development Index to Analysis of Rural Regions in Poland and Slovakia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 105(1), pages 1-37, January.
    5. Pamela Abbott & Claire Wallace, 2014. "Rising Economic Prosperity and Social Quality the Case of New Member States of the European Union," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(1), pages 419-439, January.
    6. Ewa, Lechman, 2012. "Social development – a multidimensional approach to social development analysis. Country level evidence for year 2011," MPRA Paper 41812, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Emanuele Blasi & Maria Nucera & Clara Cicatiello & Silvio Franco, 2013. "Socio-demographic Components of Eudaimonic Well-Being: A Survey in an Italian Province," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 451-470, August.
    8. Mohammad Rezvani & Hossain Mansourian & Mohammad Sattari, 2013. "Evaluating Quality of Life in Urban Areas (Case Study: Noorabad City, Iran)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 112(1), pages 203-220, May.
    9. Enrico Ivaldi & Guido Bonatti & Riccardo Soliani, 2014. "Composite Index for Quality of Life in Italian Cities: An Application to URBES Indicators," Review of Economics & Finance, Better Advances Press, Canada, vol. 4, pages 18-32, November.
    10. Man Liang & Shuwen Niu & Zhen Li & Wenli Qiang, 2019. "International Comparison of Human Development Index Corrected by Greenness and Fairness Indicators and Policy Implications for China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(1), pages 1-24, February.
    11. Rahmat Aris Pratomo & D. Ary A. Samsura & Erwin van der Krabben, 2022. "Living on the Edge: Comparing the Quality of Life Transformation of Local Communities Induced by New Town Development in Different Peri-Urban Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-24, October.
    12. Katia Iglesias & Christian Suter & Tugce Beycan & B. P. Vani, 2017. "Exploring Multidimensional Well-Being in Switzerland: Comparing Three Synthesizing Approaches," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 847-875, December.
    13. Enrico Ivaldi & Guido Bonatti & Riccardo Soliani, 2016. "The Construction of a Synthetic Index Comparing Multidimensional Well-Being in the European Union," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 125(2), pages 397-430, January.
    14. Luca D’Acci, 2014. "Monetary, Subjective and Quantitative Approaches to Assess Urban Quality of Life and Pleasantness in Cities (Hedonic Price, Willingness-to-Pay, Positional Value, Life Satisfaction, Isobenefit Lines)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 115(2), pages 531-559, January.
    15. Oscar A. Martinez-Martinez & Ana-Maria Vazquez-Rodriguez & Margaret Lombe & Pablo Gaitan-Rossi, 2018. "Incorporating Public Insecurity Indicators: A New Approach to Measuring Social Welfare in Mexico," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 453-475, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    European Union; Quality of life; Social indicators; Welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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