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Beyond Facts: Understanding Quality of Life

Author

Listed:
  • Pagés, Carmen
  • Scartascini, Carlos
  • Funaro, Rita
  • Madrigal, Lucía
  • Duryea, Suzanne
  • Chaparro, Juan Camilo
  • Rodríguez-Pombo, María Victoria
  • Lora, Eduardo
  • Sanguinetti, Pablo
  • Savedoff, William D.
  • Navarro, Juan Carlos
  • Verdisco, Aimee
  • Alfonso, Mariana
  • Powell, Andrew

Abstract

Traditionally, the concept of quality of life has been viewed through objective indicators. Beyond Facts looks at quality of life through a new lens, namely, the perceptions of millions of Latin Americans. Using an enhanced version of the recently created Gallup World Poll that incorporates Latin America-specific questions, the Inter-American Development Bank surveyed people from throughout the region and found that perceptions of quality of life are often very different from the reality. These surprising findings have enormous significance for the political economy of the region and provide a wealth of information for policymakers and development practitioners to feast upon.

Suggested Citation

  • Pagés, Carmen & Scartascini, Carlos & Funaro, Rita & Madrigal, Lucía & Duryea, Suzanne & Chaparro, Juan Camilo & Rodríguez-Pombo, María Victoria & Lora, Eduardo & Sanguinetti, Pablo & Savedoff, Willia, 2008. "Beyond Facts: Understanding Quality of Life," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 7200, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:idb:idbbks:7200
    DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0012576
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. van Praag, Bernard M. S. & Ferrer-i-Carbonell, Ada, 2007. "Happiness Quantified: A Satisfaction Calculus Approach," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199226146.
    2. Ruut Veenhoven, 2000. "The Four Qualities of Life," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 1(1), pages 1-39, March.
    3. Vegas, Emiliana & Petrow, Jenny, 2008. "Raising Student Learning in Latin America: The Challenge for the 21st Century," IDB Publications (Books), Inter-American Development Bank, number 355, November.
    4. Wagstaff, Adam, 2002. "Inequalities in health in developing countries - swimming against the tide?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2795, The World Bank.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Javier Espinosa & Jorge Friedman & Carlos Yevenes, 2014. "Adverse Shocks and Economic Insecurity: Evidence from Chile and Mexico," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(S1), pages 141-158, May.
    2. Madrigal, Roger & Alpizar, Francisco & Schluter, Achim, 2011. "Individual Perceptions and the Performance of Community-Based Drinking Water Organizations," RFF Working Paper Series dp-11-07-efd, Resources for the Future.
    3. Nicola Pontarollo & Mercy Orellana & Joselin Segovia, 2020. "The Determinants of Subjective Well-Being in a Developing Country: The Ecuadorian Case," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(8), pages 3007-3035, December.
    4. Andrew E. Clark, 2018. "Four Decades of the Economics of Happiness: Where Next?," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 64(2), pages 245-269, June.
    5. Fabiana Machado, 2013. "Decentralization and Accountability: The Curse of Local Underdevelopment," Research Department Publications IDB-WP-397, Inter-American Development Bank, Research Department.
    6. GUISAN, Maria-Carmen & AGUAYO, Eva, 2011. "Women Participation, Quality Of Government And Economic Development In Europe, 2000-2007," Applied Econometrics and International Development, Euro-American Association of Economic Development, vol. 11(1).
    7. Castro, Lucio & Scartascini, Carlos, 2015. "Tax compliance and enforcement in the pampas evidence from a field experiment," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 65-82.
    8. Kimberly Collins, 2013. "Life in the US-Mexican Border Region: Residents' Perceptions of the Place," Journal of Borderlands Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(1), pages 127-146, April.

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