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Fifty Years After the Social Indicators Movement: Has the Promise Been Fulfilled?

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  • Kenneth C. Land

    (Duke University)

  • Alex C. Michalos

    (University of Northern British Columbia)

Abstract

This paper reviews the origins, promise, and subsequent development of social indicators/quality-of-life/well-being conceptualizations and research since the 1960s. It then assesses the state of this field in the 2010s and identifies four key developments—the development of professional organizations that nurture its conceptual and empirical development; the widespread political, popular, and theoretical appeal of the quality-of-life (QOL) concept; a new era of the construction of composite or summary social indicators; and a recognition of the key role of the QOL concept in connecting social indicators to the study of subjective well-being—that have evolved over the past five decades and that are very much with us today. The final section of the paper poses the question of where the field should focus its energies. Beyond carrying on the existing research program, it argues that the field needs to recognize the substantial changes in the social and economic organization of contemporary societies as compared to the mid-1960s launch period for the Social Indicators Movement and develop new research foci for the years to come.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth C. Land & Alex C. Michalos, 2018. "Fifty Years After the Social Indicators Movement: Has the Promise Been Fulfilled?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 135(3), pages 835-868, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:135:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s11205-017-1571-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-017-1571-y
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    1. Kenneth Land & Vicki Lamb & Hui Zheng, 2011. "How are the Kids Doing? How do We Know?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 100(3), pages 463-477, February.
    2. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    3. Michael Hagerty & Robert Cummins & Abbott Ferriss & Kenneth Land & Alex Michalos & Mark Peterson & Andrew Sharpe & Joseph Sirgy & Joachim Vogel, 2001. "Quality of Life Indexes for National Policy: Review and Agenda for Research," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 1-96, July.
    4. Alex Michalos, 2004. "Social Indicators Research and Health-Related Quality of Life Research," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 65(1), pages 27-72, January.
    5. Joachim Vogel, 1999. "The European 'Welfare Mix': Institutional Configuration and Distributive Outcome in Sweden and the European Union. A Longitudinal and Comparative Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 48(3), pages 245-296, November.
    6. Helliwell, John & Layard, Richard & Sachs, Jeffrey, 2012. "World happiness report," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 47487, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Robert Cummins, 1996. "The domains of life satisfaction: An attempt to order chaos," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 38(3), pages 303-328, January.
    8. Alex Michalos, 2011. "What Did Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi Get Right and What Did They Get Wrong?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 102(1), pages 117-129, May.
    9. Franz Rothenbacher, 1993. "National and international approaches in social reporting," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 1-62, May.
    10. Andrews, Frank M. & Bulmer, Martin & Ferriss, Abbott L. & Gershuny, Jonathan & Glatzer, Wolfgang & Noll, Heinz-Herbert & Innes, Judith Eleanor & Johnston, Denis F. & Macrae, Duncan & Vogel, Joachim & , 1989. "Whatever Happened to Social Indicators? A Symposium," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 9(4), pages 399-399, October.
    11. Atkinson, Anthony B., 2015. "Inequality: what can be done?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 101810, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    12. Nathan Caplan & Eugenia Barton, 1978. "The potential of social indicators: Minimum conditions for impact at the national level as suggested by a study of the use of ‘social indicators’ 73," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 427-456, March.
    13. Alex Michalos & P. Kahlke & Karen Rempel & Anu Lounatvuori & Anne MacDiarmid & Heather Creech & Carolee Buckler, 2015. "Progress in Measuring Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Concerning Sustainable Development Among Tenth Grade Students in Manitoba," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 123(2), pages 303-336, September.
    14. Kenneth Land & Vicki Lamb & Sarah Mustillo, 2001. "Child and Youth Well-Being in the United States, 1975–1998: Some Findings from a New Index," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 241-318, December.
    15. Alex Michalos & Heather Creech & Natalie Swayze & P. Maurine Kahlke & Carolee Buckler & Karen Rempel, 2012. "Measuring Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviours Concerning Sustainable Development among Tenth Grade Students in Manitoba," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 106(2), pages 213-238, April.
    16. Alex Michalos, 1985. "Multiple discrepancies theory (MDT)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 347-413, May.
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    1. Rémi Yin & Anthony Lepinteur & Andrew E Clark & Conchita d'Ambrosio, 2021. "Life Satisfaction and the Human Development Index Across the World," Working Papers halshs-03174513, HAL.
    2. Nicola Amendola & Giacomo Gabbuti & Giovanni Vecchi, 2023. "On some problems of using the Human Development Index in economic history," European Review of Economic History, European Historical Economics Society, vol. 27(4), pages 477-505.
    3. Chao Shi & Kenneth C. Land, 2021. "The Data Envelopment Analysis and Equal Weights/Minimax Methods of Composite Social Indicator Construction: a Methodological Study of Data Sensitivity and Robustness," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(4), pages 1689-1716, August.
    4. Massimo Aria & Michelangelo Misuraca & Maria Spano, 2020. "Mapping the Evolution of Social Research and Data Science on 30 Years of Social Indicators Research," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(3), pages 803-831, June.
    5. Jennifer Fane & Colin MacDougall & Jessie Jovanovic & Gerry Redmond & Lisa Gibbs, 2020. "Preschool Aged Children’s Accounts of their Own Wellbeing: are Current Wellbeing Indicators Applicable to Young Children?," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 13(6), pages 1893-1920, December.
    6. Christoph Dörffel & Sebastian Schuhmann, 2022. "What is Inclusive Development? Introducing the Multidimensional Inclusiveness Index," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 162(3), pages 1117-1148, August.
    7. Zoe Moula & Nicola Walshe & Elsa Lee, 2021. "Making Nature Explicit in Children’s Drawings of Wellbeing and Happy Spaces," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(4), pages 1653-1675, August.
    8. Elli Papastergiou & Dionysis Latinopoulos & Myrto Evdou & Athanasios Kalogeresis, 2023. "Exploring Associations between Subjective Well-Being and Non-Market Values When Used in the Evaluation of Urban Green Spaces: A Scoping Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-31, March.
    9. Mladen Djuric & Jovan Filipovic & Stefan Komazec, 2020. "Reshaping the Future of Social Metrology: Utilizing Quality Indicators to Develop Complexity-Based Scientific Human and Social Capital Measurement Model," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 535-567, April.
    10. Ferran Casas & Mònica González-Carrasco, 2021. "Children’s Aspirations, Societal Development and Cultural Sensitivity. Aspirational Profiles Emerging From Data Provided By Children in 22 Countries," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 14(4), pages 1315-1344, August.
    11. Jeremy Heald & Erick Trevi~no Aguilar, 2020. "Does Subjective Well-being Contribute to Our Understanding of Mexican Well-being?," Papers 2004.11420, arXiv.org.
    12. Larry Dwyer, 2023. "Why tourism economists should treat resident well-being more seriously," Tourism Economics, , vol. 29(8), pages 1975-1994, December.
    13. Ihsana Sabriani Borualogo & Ferran Casas, 2021. "Subjective Well-Being of Bullied Children in Indonesia," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 16(2), pages 753-773, April.
    14. John F. Helliwell, 2019. "Measuring and Using Happiness to Support Public Policies," NBER Working Papers 26529, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Nicola Amendola & Giacomo Gabbuti & Giovanni Vecchi, 2018. "On the use of composite indices in economic history. Lessons from Italy, 1861-2017," HHB Working Papers Series 11, The Historical Household Budgets Project.
    16. Mohsen Joshanloo & Veljko Jovanović & Tim Taylor, 2019. "A multidimensional understanding of prosperity and well-being at country level: Data-driven explorations," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(10), pages 1-31, October.
    17. David Bartram & Leonardo Salvatore Alaimo & Eileen Avery & Anthony Bardo & Enrico Di Bella & Martin Binder & Ferdi Botha & Sandra Fachelli & Andrea Gatto & Jintao Lu & Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn & Angeles S, 2024. "Towards the Next Fifty Years of Social Indicators Research: Some Guidance for Authors," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 1-17, August.

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