Background: Low language (LL) is a common childhood condition affecting 7-17% of children. It is associated with life-long adverse outcomes and can affect various aspects of a child's life. However, the literature on its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), service use and costs are limited. To date, there has been no systematic…

Adults with autism face high rates of unemployment. Supported employment enables individuals with autism to secure and maintain a paid job in a regular work environment. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of supported employment compared with standard care (day services) for adults with autism in the United Kingdom.…

This paper analyses poverty reduction in Bhutan between two points in time--2003 and 2007--from a multidimensional perspective. The measures estimated include consumption expenditure as well as other indicators which are directly (when possible) or indirectly associated to valuable functionings, namely, health, education, access to electricity,…

Cross-national comparisons generally show large differences in life satisfaction of individuals within and between European countries. This paper addresses the question of whether and how job quality and working conditions contribute to the quality of life of employed populations in nine strategically selected EU countries: Finland, Sweden, the…

World social development has arrived at a critical turning point. Economically advanced nations have made significant progress toward meeting the basic needs of their populations; however, the majority of developing countries have not. Problems of rapid population growth, failing economies, famine, environmental devastation, majority-minority…

This paper presents a new analytical framework for assessing spatial disparities among countries. It takes for granted that the analysis of a country's performance cannot be limited solely to either economic or social factors. The aim of the paper is to combine relevant economic and "non-economic" (mainly social) aspects of a country's performance…

It is commonly assumed that better living standards will boost subjective well-being. The post-apartheid South African government subscribes to this idea; its social policies aim to provide "a better life for all". Since the coming of democracy in 1994, the state has built over 3 million houses and supplied electricity and clean water to…

Among the surprising results of research on the relation between a person's material circumstances and his or her subjective well-being was the finding that this relationship appears to be rather weak (throughout this paper the terms "(general) life satisfaction", "(subjective) satisfaction", "happiness" and…

This paper examines the role that comparative analysis and global policy studies can play in explaining the human condition in the contemporary world. It investigates economic well-being, one dimension of the human condition, and examines some of the attributes that represent it and some of the forces that affect it in villages, social groupings,…

Investigates the effect of residence and race on life satisfaction among older persons living in rural and urban counties in the mid-South. Finds satisfaction highest among rural Blacks followed by urban Whites, rural Whites, and urban Blacks. Examines income and social contact as correlates of life satisfaction. (Author/KC)

The study examined the changes in the quality of life of country families in four eastern Kentucky counties between 1960 and 1973. Since quality of life is an abstract concept, the changes were assessed with respect to income, occupation, and level of living. The aim was to assess the changes in both objective and subjective terms as the families…

As part of a study of the quality of life in northwestern Wisconsin, questions re: important problems, public services, and environmental concerns were asked of a sample of 150 people in each of 5 counties (Bayfield, Douglas, Price, Taylor, and Washburn) in 1974. Responses to similar questions asked in a 1973 study of Ashland, Burnett, and Rusk…

Education is one of the major problems connected with the economic and social distribution of the total resources of the world. Examples of the educational gap between rich and poor countries can be seen by statistical comparisons between Peru and Czechoslavakia and between Guatemala and Denmark which show how unevenly educational resources are…

As the first in a series of five reports dealing with selected aspects of the quality of life in Mississippi, this report utilizes U.S. Census data (1959 vs 1969 and 1960 vs 1970) to provide a statistical description of social and economic conditions and the change in those conditions over a 10-year period. Tabular and narrative data are presented…

As part of a study on development and the quality of life in northwestern Wisconsin, questions concerning important problems, public services, and environmental issues were asked of samples of 150 people in each of 4 west central counties (Clark, Dunn, Eau Claire, and Polk) in 1974. Responses to similar questions asked in a 1973 study of St. Croix…