Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/63524 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2004
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Research Paper No. 2004/33
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
A plethora of what are loosely described as social and political indicators of well-being exist. Both the range and country coverage of these indicators has increased appreciably in recent years. In this paper we ask what contribution these indicators can make towards our understanding of human well-being. There is currently a vast array of political and social indicators of development. These measures include information on access to services, housing, environmental degradation, income, social participation, inequalities, and time use; while political indicators include measures of political participation, civil liberties, and human and labour rights. While some of these indicators reflect the progress countries are making towards attaining fundamental developmental goals, with several being used to assess progress towards the Millennium Development Goals (in particular measures of income, health, and education status) others act as more intermediate indicators of progress. This paper critically surveys the range of social and political indicators of development currently available focussing particularly on non-income based social and political indicators of well-being.
Subjects: 
well-being
poverty
Millennium Development Goals
health
education
JEL: 
I32
J10
D60
ISBN: 
9291906204
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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