This book honors the work of Ruut Veenhoven, who has been a pioneer and leader in the field of happiness studies for the past 50 years. It brings together experts in the field discussing Veenhoven's work as well as taking up themes from his workshops over the years to analyze how and where the field has expanded following his research. Veenhoven's contributions include developing theories and measuring instruments, creating the world's first and largest database of happiness research, founding the world's first and most frequently cited Journal of Happiness Studies, and student development in and popularization of the field of happiness studies. He has extensive publications through the International Sociological Association and the International Society for Quality of Life Studies, and the research field of happiness studies would not have become as broad today without his enormous contributions. Friends and former students of Veenhoven provide both academic and anecdotal discussions in this festschrift, which is important for anyone interested in the development of happiness research.

The focus of this volume is on the further development of the Quality of Life Theory and the means to measure the concept. The volume summarizes Michalos' fundamental assumptions about the nature of quality of life or human well-being and explains in detail the two variable theory of the quality of life. It gives an update of the journal Social Indicators Research after forty years, an explanation of the role of community indicators in connecting communities, and a critical review of the much publicized Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi report. It deals with the multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), the empirical theory designed to provide the foundation of the pragmatic theory of value. Other concepts discussed in this volume are the stability, sensitivity, and other different features of measures of domain and life satisfaction and happiness, measures of arts-related activities and beliefs, measures of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour concerning sustainable development, and the role of quality of life in sustainable development research. The volume concludes with discussions on connections between social indicators and communities, aspects of community quality of life in Prince George, British Columbia and Jasper, Alberta, and British Columbians' expectations and attitudes going into the third millennium.

Quality of life (QOL) research has made great strides since the social indicator movement started as a scientific enterprise in the 1960s. Following the lead of pioneers in North America and Europe, social scientists in other regions of the world have adopted and refined social data systems or barometers to monitor progress in enhancing the welfare and well-being of citizens. A distinctive feature of these barometers is that they measure both individual and societal quality of life. While not overlooking the more basic needs and material standards of living, the barometers also inform on issues of individual freedoms and choices and constraints on citizen empowerment that enhance and depress quality of life. Designed to capture nuances in local definitions of the good life, regional barometers are unique expressions of the obstacles facing different societies in their quest to achieve the good life. Scholars of public policy as well as policy makers will find inspiration from reviews of innovative initiatives to monitor contemporary quality of life in six regions of the world spanning South America, the Arctic, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

This first volume has as its main focus the philosophical foundations of Michalos' work and describes it in the broad context of the study of logic, the philosophy of social sciences, and a general theory of value. After distinguishing things that have value from the value that things might have, it describes the foundations of a pragmatic theory of value. This theory plays a key role in the author's research on the quality of life and connects his empirical research to the philosophical tradition of the American pragmatists William James, Ralph Barton Perry, John Dewey and Clarence Irving Lewis. The volume addresses various aspects and issues concerning decision making, including decision procedures used in committees, used for assessing the acceptability of scientific theories and new technologies, procedures for a science court, ethical issues involved in the formation of beliefs, some limitations of classical economists' alleged postulates of rational preference, and the importance of analytic guides to decision making. Finally, it describes the organization of the Social Sciences Federation of Canada and a formal accounting system for scientific research.

This volume provides bridges from the social sciences to business ethics and from the latter to the quality of life, by connecting the research themes of quality of life, social sciences, including public policy-making, and business ethics or corporate responsibility. It builds on the premise that public policy making is essentially a species of good decision making, as explained in the first volume. It shows that, because most developed countries function as market economies whose governments depend on taxation to pay for their services and because a large proportion of government revenue comes from well-regulated, responsible corporations, the quality of people's lives is highly dependent upon good public policies, taxation and business ethics. The volume presents and examines ethical/moral problems arising in market economies since the first century BCE, including the first appearance of the business case for business ethics, fourteen arguments concerning the neglect of business ethics, business ethics issues for the 1990s and beyond, the loyal agent's argument, advertising, the importance of trust, public opinion polling, public program evaluation, and a critique of the relatively new monster of super-capitalism. In addition, it deals with connections among the concepts of efficiency, morality, and rationality related to decision making in general and public policy making in particular. Finally, it explains relationships between outcomes measurement and performance indicators in general and performance-based management in public administration, the taxation of net wealth and financial transactions.

Since initiating the journal Social Indicators Research in 1974, Alex C. Michalos has been a pioneer in social indicators and quality-of-life research. This collection of nineteen articles provides an overview of nearly 30 years of work, including papers drawn from diverse sources and papers never published before. The final paper, on multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), is the author's unique contribution to an empirically testable new foundation for theories of utility, satisfaction and happiness.

This volume connects aspects of personal health, overall well-being, and education to quality of life. It includes discussions of Galen's and Harvey's views of the movement of blood in human bodies, and differences in the research traditions of social indicators research and health-related quality of life research. It examines determinants of health and quality of life in a variety of populations, including the residents of the Bella Coola Valley of British Columbia, aboriginal residential school survivors in Canada, and diabetics versus non-diabetics. It describes relations between health survey and patients' medical chart reviews, the health and quality of life of older people, and the difference between good health and a good life. Other topics explored are student quality of life, comparisons of the quality of life of students, aboriginal and unemployed people, the impact of education on happiness and well-being, and liberal education. In addition, the volume presents Einstein's views of ethics and science, and unacknowledged authorship in scholarly publications. The final chapter gives a historical review of quality of life research in Canada over the past fifty years.

This book honors the work of Ruut Veenhoven, who has been a pioneer and leader in the field of happiness studies for the past 50 years. It brings together experts in the field discussing Veenhoven's work as well as taking up themes from his workshops over the years to analyze how and where the field has expanded following his research. Veenhoven's contributions include developing theories and measuring instruments, creating the world's first and largest database of happiness research, founding the world's first and most frequently cited Journal of Happiness Studies, and student development in and popularization of the field of happiness studies. He has extensive publications through the International Sociological Association and the International Society for Quality of Life Studies, and the research field of happiness studies would not have become as broad today without his enormous contributions. Friends and former students of Veenhoven provide both academic and anecdotal discussions in this festschrift, which is important for anyone interested in the development of happiness research.

The aim of the "Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research" is to create an overview of the field of Quality of Life (QOL) studies in the early years of the 21st century that can be updated and improved upon as the field evolves and the century unfolds.

Social indicators are statistical time series ..".used to monitor the social system, helping to identify changes and to guide intervention to alter the course of social change." Examples include unemployment rates, crime rates, estimates of life expectancy, health status indices, school enrollment rates, average achievement scores, election voting rates, and measures of subjective well-being such as satisfaction with life-as-a-whole and with specific domains or aspects of life.

This book provides a review of the historical development of the field including the history of QOL in medicine and mental health as well as the research related to quality-of-work-life (QWL) programs. It discusses several of QOL main concepts: happiness, positive psychology, and subjective wellbeing. Relations between spirituality and religiousness and QOL are examined as are the effects of educational attainment on QOL and marketing, and the associations with economic growth. The book goes on to investigate methodological approaches and issues that should be considered in measuring and analysing quality of life from a quantitative perspective. The final chapters are dedicated to research on elements of QOL in a broad range of countries and populations.

The focus of this volume is on the further development of the Quality of Life Theory and the means to measure the concept. The volume summarizes Michalos' fundamental assumptions about the nature of quality of life or human well-being and explains in detail the two variable theory of the quality of life. It gives an update of the journal Social Indicators Research after forty years, an explanation of the role of community indicators in connecting communities, and a critical review of the much publicized Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi report. It deals with the multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), the empirical theory designed to provide the foundation of the pragmatic theory of value. Other concepts discussed in this volume are the stability, sensitivity, and other different features of measures of domain and life satisfaction and happiness, measures of arts-related activities and beliefs, measures of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour concerning sustainable development, and the role of quality of life in sustainable development research. The volume concludes with discussions on connections between social indicators and communities, aspects of community quality of life in Prince George, British Columbia and Jasper, Alberta, and British Columbians' expectations and attitudes going into the third millennium.

This volume provides bridges from the social sciences to business ethics and from the latter to the quality of life, by connecting the research themes of quality of life, social sciences, including public policy-making, and business ethics or corporate responsibility. It builds on the premise that public policy making is essentially a species of good decision making, as explained in the first volume. It shows that, because most developed countries function as market economies whose governments depend on taxation to pay for their services and because a large proportion of government revenue comes from well-regulated, responsible corporations, the quality of people's lives is highly dependent upon good public policies, taxation and business ethics. The volume presents and examines ethical/moral problems arising in market economies since the first century BCE, including the first appearance of the business case for business ethics, fourteen arguments concerning the neglect of business ethics, business ethics issues for the 1990s and beyond, the loyal agent's argument, advertising, the importance of trust, public opinion polling, public program evaluation, and a critique of the relatively new monster of super-capitalism. In addition, it deals with connections among the concepts of efficiency, morality, and rationality related to decision making in general and public policy making in particular. Finally, it explains relationships between outcomes measurement and performance indicators in general and performance-based management in public administration, the taxation of net wealth and financial transactions.

This first volume has as its main focus the philosophical foundations of Michalos' work and describes it in the broad context of the study of logic, the philosophy of social sciences, and a general theory of value. After distinguishing things that have value from the value that things might have, it describes the foundations of a pragmatic theory of value. This theory plays a key role in the author's research on the quality of life and connects his empirical research to the philosophical tradition of the American pragmatists William James, Ralph Barton Perry, John Dewey and Clarence Irving Lewis. The volume addresses various aspects and issues concerning decision making, including decision procedures used in committees, used for assessing the acceptability of scientific theories and new technologies, procedures for a science court, ethical issues involved in the formation of beliefs, some limitations of classical economists' alleged postulates of rational preference, and the importance of analytic guides to decision making. Finally, it describes the organization of the Social Sciences Federation of Canada and a formal accounting system for scientific research.

This volume connects aspects of personal health, overall well-being, and education to quality of life. It includes discussions of Galen's and Harvey's views of the movement of blood in human bodies, and differences in the research traditions of social indicators research and health-related quality of life research. It examines determinants of health and quality of life in a variety of populations, including the residents of the Bella Coola Valley of British Columbia, aboriginal residential school survivors in Canada, and diabetics versus non-diabetics. It describes relations between health survey and patients' medical chart reviews, the health and quality of life of older people, and the difference between good health and a good life. Other topics explored are student quality of life, comparisons of the quality of life of students, aboriginal and unemployed people, the impact of education on happiness and well-being, and liberal education. In addition, the volume presents Einstein's views of ethics and science, and unacknowledged authorship in scholarly publications. The final chapter gives a historical review of quality of life research in Canada over the past fifty years.

This monograph describes the contributions to our current understanding of quality of life made by the most important ancient philosophers in the Western Tradition. It does so from the point of view of a contemporary researcher in quality of life or human well-being. Revisiting ancient texts from about 600 BCE to 300 BCE, the book explores the earliest ideas in recorded western philosophical and scientific history that were significantly related to current research and understanding of the quality of life or well-being for individuals and communities. It examines the problems and solutions found in these texts and their connection to still current fundamental issues and questions such as: 'What is a good life?', 'What is the best sort of person to be?' 'How can one tell if one's society is making progress to some sort of desirable state or falling backwards?' The book shows that across time and across many cultures, the human species bears some remarkable similarities.

Since initiating the journal Social Indicators Research in 1974, Alex C. Michalos has been a pioneer in social indicators and quality-of-life research. This collection of nineteen articles provides an overview of nearly 30 years of work, including papers drawn from diverse sources and papers never published before. The final paper, on multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), is the author's unique contribution to an empirically testable new foundation for theories of utility, satisfaction and happiness.

Quality of life (QOL) research has made great strides since the social indicator movement started as a scientific enterprise in the 1960s. Following the lead of pioneers in North America and Europe, social scientists in other regions of the world have adopted and refined social data systems or barometers to monitor progress in enhancing the welfare and well-being of citizens. A distinctive feature of these barometers is that they measure both individual and societal quality of life. While not overlooking the more basic needs and material standards of living, the barometers also inform on issues of individual freedoms and choices and constraints on citizen empowerment that enhance and depress quality of life. Designed to capture nuances in local definitions of the good life, regional barometers are unique expressions of the obstacles facing different societies in their quest to achieve the good life. Scholars of public policy as well as policy makers will find inspiration from reviews of innovative initiatives to monitor contemporary quality of life in six regions of the world spanning South America, the Arctic, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.

Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement was founded by Alex C. Michalos and published its first issue in March 1974. It has been the leading journal for scholarly research in its field for over thirty years. This volume is published in celebration of that record of accomplishment. The 19 articles assembled here are a selection drawn from the 34 (2.4%) most frequently cited articles in the journal's history. An introductory essay written by Michalos explains the historical and scientific importance of each article in the development of social indicators or quality-of-life research. It provides a rare overview of the perceived scientific problems that researchers around the world addressed in the first three decades of exploration, as well as a view of some of the problems to be addressed in the future. A short essay describing the origins of the journal by its founder is also included. Anyone interested in having a single volume that contains some of the best research produced in this field will find this volume irresistible.

I suppose that most of the people reading this volume will have read or have access to Volume One of my Global Report on Student Well Being. Therefore, I will not review the background literature relevant to multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), the theory itself or the essential features of the international university undergraduate data set on which this whole report is based. Anyone familiar with my earlier papers (Michalos 1985, 1987, 1988) will have a good idea of MDT. However, one really has to have a look at the first volume of this study in order to appreciate the richness of a data-set consisting of over 18,000 cases drawn from 39 countries. As I indicated at the beginning of that volume, the data-set is available for a very modest cost to anyone who wants it. I am happy to report that a few re searchers have already obtained some or all of the data-set and are currently undertaking their own analyses. I do hope others will also take advantage of this opportunity. The focus of Volume One was on happiness and satisfaction with life as a whole, so-called global indicators of subjective well being. Volume Two was devoted to an exploration of satisfaction with the interpersonal relations of family, friends and living partners, and personal self-esteem. Volume Three was concerned with satisfaction of paid employment, with material goods as indicated by the domains finances, housing and transportation."

I suppose that most of the people reading this volume will have read or have access to Volume One of my Global Report on Student Well Being. Therefore, I will not review the background literature relevant to multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), the theory itself or the es sential features of the international university undergraduate data-set on which this whole report is based. Anyone familiar with my earlier papers (Michalos 1985, 1987, 1988) will have a good idea of MDT. However, one really has to have a look at the first volume of this study in order to appreciate the richness of a data-set consisting of over 18,000 cases drawn from 39 countries. As I indicated at the be ginning of that volume, the data-set is available for a very modest cost to anyone who wants it and I do hope others will take advantage of it. The focus of Volume One was on happiness and satisfaction with life as a whole, so-called global indicators of subjective well being. Volume Two was devoted to an exploration of satisfaction with the interpersonal relations of family, friends and living partners, and personal self-esteem. This volume is concerned with satisfaction with material goods as indicated by the domains of paid employment, fi nances, housing and transportation. In the fourth and final volume I will explain satisfaction with religion, education, recreation and health."

I suppose that most of the people reading this volume will have read or have access to Volume One of my Global Report on Student Well Being. Therefore, I will not review the background literature relevant to multiple discrepancies theory (MDT), the theory itself or the essential features of the international university undergraduate data set on which this whole report is based. Anyone familiar with my earlier papers (Michalos 1985, 1987, 1988) will have a good idea of MDT. However, one really has to have a look at the first volume of this study in order to appreciate the richness of a data-set consisting of over 18,000 cases drawn from 39 countries. As I indicated at the beginning of that volume, the data-set is available for a very modest cost to anyone who wants it and I do hope others will take advantage of it. Contents Preface vii 1 Literature Review 1 1. 1 Introduction 1 1. 2 Marriage and the Family '2 1. 3 Correlates of Family and Marital Satisfaction 3 1. 4 Exchange and Equity 8 1. 5 Roles and Expectations 10 1. 6 Self-Esteem and Satisfaction 11 2 Satisfaction with One's Family Relations 14 2. 1 Introduction 14 2. 2 Descriptive Statistics for World Sample, Males and Females 14 2. 3 Satisfaction Explained by MDT for World Sample 20 2. 4 Satisfaction Explained by MDT for Males and Females 26 2. 5 Thirty-Eight Countries 27 2."

What makes people satisfied or happy with their lives or with particular features of their lives? In his attempt to answer these questions, the author has applied his Multiple Discrepancies Theory to study the satisfaction and happiness of university undergraduates in 39 countries. The project aims to explain global satisfaction and happiness as well as satisfaction in 12 domains: health, finances, family relations, paid employment, friendships, housing, living partner, recreation activity, religion, self-esteem, transportation and education. The forthcoming volumes of this survey will present detailed analysis for every domain, country and university, for whole groups, males and females. The four-volume set presents a thorough picture of the relative satisfaction and happiness of students in the world.

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the first, some in troductory remarks are in order about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all five volumes to measure the qUality of life. In the frrst chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and so cial reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The basic question that will be answered in this work is this: Is there a difference in the quality of life in Canada and the United States of America, and if so, in which country is it better? Alternatively, one could put the question thus: If one individual were randomly selected out of Canada and another out of the United States, would there be important qualitative differences, and if so, which one would probably be better off? To simplify matters, I often use the terms 'Canadian' and 'American' as abbreviations for 'a randomly selected resident' of Canada or the United States, respec tively."

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the first, some in troductory remarks are in orde{about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all five volumes to measure the quality of life. In the first chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and so cial reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The basic question that will be answered in this work is this: Is there a difference in the quality of life in Canada and the United States of America, and if so, in which country is it better? Alternatively, one could put the question thus: If one individual were randomly selected out of Canada and another out of the United States, would there be important qualitative differences, and if so, which one would probably be better off To simplify matters, I often use the terms 'Canadian' and 'American' as abbreviations for 'a randomly selected resident' of Canada or the United States, respec tively."

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the ftrst, some introductory remarks are in order about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all ftve volumes to measure the quality of life. In the ftrst chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and social reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The basic question that will be answered in this work in this: Is there a difference in the quality of life in Canada and the United States of America, and if so, in which country is it better? Alternatively, one could put the question thus: If one individual were randomly selected out of Canada and another out of the United States, would there be important qualitative differences, and if so, which one would probably be better off? To simplify matters, I often use the terms 'Canadian' and 'American' as abbreviations for 'a randomly selected resident' of Canada or the United States, respectively.

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the first, some in troductory remarks are in order about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all five volumes to measure the quality of life. In the frrst chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and so cial reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The basic question that will be answered in this work is this: Is there a difference in the quality of life in Canada and the United States of America, and if so, in which country is it better? Alternatively, one could put the question thus: If one individual were randomly selected out of Canada and another out of the United States, would there be important qualitative differences, and if so, which one would probably be better om To simplify matters, I often use the terms Canadian' and 'American' as abbreviations for 'a randomly selected resident' of Canada or the United States, respec tively."