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Byline: Wen-Ching Chen (1,2), Jung-Der Wang (1,3), Jing-Shiang Hwang (4), Chiao-Chicy Chen (5), Chia-Huei Wu (6), Grace Yao (6) Keywords: Comparison; Reliability; Validity; Web version; WHOQOL-BREF Abstract: The purpose of this study was to test whether the web version is an alternative to the paper version of the short version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment (WHOQOL-BREF). Two studies were conducted. Study 1 used crossover self-controlled trials with 80 participants to compare the web and paper versions and to determine the test--retest reliability of the web version. Study 2 used data from 1,016 web participants to analyze the internal consistency and concurrent and construct validity of the web version. The correlations of domain scores between the web and paper versions ranged from 0.71 to 0.85. Dependent t tests showed no significant differences in domain scores between these two versions. The intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) for test--retest reliability of web version ranged from 0.79 to 0.91. The Cronbach's [alpha] for internal consistency reliability ranged from 0.60 to 0.83. Multiple regression models indicated that the web version has good concurrent validity. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the second-order hierarchical factor model also supported the construct validity of the web version. The web version of the WHOQOL-BREF can be the alternative to the paper version for health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) evaluation. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute of Occupational Medicine and Industrial Hygiene, College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan (2) Yuli Hospital, Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (3) Department of Internal Medicine and Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (4) Institute of Statistical Science, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan (5) Song De Branch, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan (6) Department of Psychology, College of Science, National Taiwan University, No. 1, Sect. 4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei, 10617, Taiwan Article History: Registration Date: 20/10/2008 Received Date: 08/01/2008 Accepted Date: 19/10/2008 Online Date: 05/11/2008

The Bridges and Foundations Project on Urban Aboriginal Housing, a Community-University Research Alliance (CURA) project financed primarily by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), has been operational in Saskatoon since early 2001. During these past 5 years over 50 specific research projects, community surveys, graduate theses, workshops, conferences, seminars and other meetings have been conducted under the auspices of the Bridges and Foundations Project as a whole. This paper first discusses the various social indicators employed in seven surveys, which probed deeply into the views of local Aboriginal residents of their quality of life, particularly their living conditions and affordable housing. The paper focuses less on the vast amount of data gathered from some 2,000 residents than on the relevance of social indicators used in these surveys--for example which were most or least informative, and which were of most or least interest and pertinence to the residents themselves. In the process it would seem pertinent to discern which of various research approaches seemed, in retrospect, to have been most appropriate, informative and beneficial. The paper then proceeds to place our experience in the Bridges and Foundations Project within a broader theoretical discussion of social indicator development; and concludes with a brief commentary on the linkages between theory and research and between academic and community-based research.

Both the potential pitfalls of macro-economic policies focused on stimulating economic growth and the problems involved in using GDP as a measure of well-being or economic welfare have long been recognized by economists and researchers from other social sciences. Therefore, it is no surprise that alternative measures for policy-making have been developed and promoted since the early 1970s. Over the past 5 years, the development of these measures has gained momentum both politically and academically. However, most research efforts concentrate on the development and promotion of individual indicators, while paying less attention to the wide range of indicators already available and to theoretical insights. As a result, few classification schemes of alternative measures exist today to help policy-makers in selecting a proper set of indicators. This paper first looks into the different classification schemes available in the literature and outlines the weaknesses in each of these. Afterwards, an alternative classification scheme is introduced that draws on the notions of well-being, economic welfare and sustainability. A further sub-categorization is built on the different approaches that are used to quantitatively capture the notions. By focusing on the underlying concepts that the different measures aim to quantify, the alternative classification scheme overcomes the drawbacks of the existing schemes. Finally, 23 alternative measures for policy-making are reviewed and organized into the newly developed classification scheme. (Contains 3 figures and 6 footnotes.)

The International Well-being Index (IWI) measures both personal and national well-being. It comprises two subscales: the Personal Well-being Index (PWI) and the National Well-being Index (NWI). The aim of this paper is to test the psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the translated scale in Austria. Convergent validity is assessed using the Scales of Psychological Well-Being, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale. In addition, a Visual-Analog Scales capturing "satisfaction with life as a whole" was applied. The participants were 581 students of the Medical University Innsbruck (female: 47.7%; age: 23.2 plus or minus 3.7). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the IWI was for both scales greater than 0.70 (PWI: 0.85; NWI: 0.83). The exploratory factor analysis of the IWI identified a 2-factor-structure identical with the two scales of the IWI explaining 54.2% of the variance. The convergent validity hypotheses were confirmed, construct validity was partly confirmed for the PWI being a deconstruction of a first factor called "satisfaction with life" (38.1% explained variance). Happy participants scored higher on the PWI (84.3 plus or minus] 7.9 vs. 68.7 plus or minus 13.7; p less than 0.001) and NWI (64.3 plus or minus 15.8 vs. 57.9 plus or minus 15.1; p less than 0.001) scores than unhappy participants. It is concluded that the Austrian version of the IWI is a reliable and valid instrument to assess personal and national well-being. Further studies including a representative sample should be carried out on a recurring basis to use the IWI as an indicator for social science research in Austria.

There is a growing interest in quality of life as an integrated approach to addressing key social, environmental and economic determinants of health. The University of Saskatchewan's Community-University Institute for Social Research, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (grant #410-2004-0669) has examined the process and results of a multi-stakeholder approach to the ongoing sustainability of Saskatoon, Canada as a healthy city with an improving and a more equitably distributed quality of life. Using quantitative and qualitative analysis, together with GIS technology, this research has examined the quality of life across three locales in Saskatoon--representing Low, Middle and High socio-economic status in both 2001 and 2004. The participatory action research approach used in this work ensures the value of the outputs to the stakeholders. Given the strong recognition of the importance of interfacing policy, research and community, and the growing impatience with the limited application of research findings to social and health practices and policies, this project has undertaken four major knowledge translation/transfer strategies, above and beyond the traditional academic channels: (1) engagement of local media on a consistent basis, (2) implementing community policy forums to ensure continued community readiness and uptake, (3) facilitation of and successful functioning of a steering committee, and (4) employment of an action researcher to operate as a policy entrepreneur. This paper will review and discuss each of these strategies and outline the evaluative research being done to document the success of these strategies.

This paper explores whether the concept of social capital as popularized by Robert Putnam is a good social science concept. Taking Gerring's work on concept evaluation as the starting point, the paper first presents a set of criteria for conceptual 'goodness' and discusses how social capital performs on these criteria. It is argued that social capital eventually may be a good concept if it can be shown empirically to be a unidimensional concept. An empirical section therefore explores the validity of the unidimensionality assumption and rejects it in four separate tests at both the individual and aggregate level. We conclude that even if social capital has been a remarkably productive idea, it is not a good concept as most popular conceptualizations define social capital as several distinct phenomena or as phenomena that already have been conceptualized under other labels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the widest elaborations of generativity today is the theoretical model proposed by McAdams and de St. Aubin. This model has not yet been tested completely, that is only some of its components and their relations have been tested. The main reasons for such an empirical status of the model are inadequately clear operationalizations of the components of the model. After our previous research, which include adaptation of scales for measuring of some key components of model, generative care and generative action (Lacković-Grgin et al., Suvremena Psihologija, 5, 9, 2002; Lacković-Grgin, Zbirka psihologijskih skala i upitnika, Zadar: University of Zadar, 2004; Tucak et al., Generativna briga i generativno djelovanje u odraslih osoba u Hrvatskoj i Sloveniji, XVII Dani Ramira i Zorana Bujasa, Summaries, 98, 2005), as well as operationalization of so called belief in species component (which is a component of Philosophy about human nature) (Ćubela Adorić et al., Philosophies of Human Nature in Adolescents and Adults, 7th Alps-Adria Conference in Psychology, Abstracts, 167, 2005), in this paper we have tried to evaluate life goals questionnaire. This questionnaire tried to measure the other component of the model—inner desire. In that way we could realize the main goal of this paper, research of how important are the evaluations in the prediction of generative action in Croatian and Slovenian adults. Generative action is under the strong influence of cultural demands and inner desires. There are more sociological and economical indications about the differences in expected social development in countries like Croatia and Slovenia. Because of the fact that in the last decade Slovenia has been developed more than Croatia, we could expect that this could also be manifested in assessment of importance of some areas of life, which are relevant for generative action (e.g., work, marriage, free time), for life goals of agency and communion, as well as for generative care as a possible predictor of generative action. The greater differences were obtained in some predictors of generative action (e.g. importance of job, importance of free time, goals of agency and communion), as well as in their predictive importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Human Development Index (HDI) implicitly defines "human development" and ranks countries accordingly. To elucidate the HDI's meaning of "human development," the paper examines the sensitivity of the HDI to changes in its components, namely social indicators of education, longevity and standard of living. The HDI is next compared with two alternatives, the Life Quality Index (LQI) and a Time Allocation lndex (TAI) developed in this paper from the HDI's components. Also considered is the likely uncertainly in the HDI and what it means for HDI rankings. It is concluded that the HDI's weighting of the gross domestic product is in good agreement with peoples' preferences as revealed in the LQI and the TAI; further, that the HDI places many times greater weight on education than is indicated by peoples' allocation of time in developed countries. Literacy is accorded very high weight in the HDI, but its measure is unreliable. The HDI ranking of highly developed nations is so close and so uncertain that it is meaningless. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the social sciences it is hardly contested that “institutions matter”. Consequently the analysis of differences and similarities of institutions should be a routine task. Prevailing methods to the measurement of institutions are however problematic, in particular when they have to deal with different levels of measurement. To overcome this, in this paper we present an innovative method to the quantification of qualitative institutional data. We do this by, first, developing benchmarks for comparison based on Weberian ideal types. Then we identify and operationalise the dimensions and indicators to a nuanced measurement of institutions, after which we apply a careful and differentiated scoring, weighting and aggregation procedure in order to guarantee the highest standards of comparability, transparency and reliability of the method. Finally, we demonstrate our method by applying it to the analysis of institutional individualisation in European welfare institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction of subjective indicators for measuring phenomena expressed in an ordinal scale is a central issue in social sciences, particularly in sociology and psychology. In this paper, we propose the use of a subjective indicator by groups of units (for example, by geographical area) based on the ‘distance’ between the empirical cumulative distribution and a hypothetical cumulative distribution of reference. This approach allows to avoid the awkward question of the ‘quantification’ of an ordinal variable, i.e., the conversion of an ordinal variable into an interval variable. As an example of application, we consider life satisfaction data coming from the annual multipurpose survey on “Aspects of Daily Life”, carried out by the Italian National Institute of Statistics, and we present a comparison with some classical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper defines the Gini index as the sum of individual contributions where individual contributions are interpreted as the degree of diversity of each individual from all other members of society. Among various possible forms of individual contributions to the Gini found in the literature, we show that only one form satisfies a set of desirable properties. This form can be used for decomposing the Gini into population subgroups. An empirical illustration shows the use of this approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Byline: Michal Brzezinski (1) Keywords: Affluence; Richness; Income distribution; Poland Abstract: This paper examines the evolution of income affluence (richness) in Poland during 1998--2007. Using household survey data, the paper estimates several statistical indices of income affluence including income share of the top percentiles, population share of individuals receiving incomes higher than the richness line, and measures that take into account both the extent and the intensity of affluence. Results show that over the period under study there was a statistically significant and socio-economically sizable rise in income affluence by between 9 and 50%, depending on the index used. The overall income distribution in the period has shifted in favour of the rich as relative poverty and relative size and income share of the middle class have declined. Author Affiliation: (1) University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland Article History: Registration Date: 18/01/2010 Accepted Date: 17/01/2010 Online Date: 29/01/2010

Byline: Jeffrey James (1) Keywords: Diffusion of mobile phones; Country performance; New category Abstract: This brief paper uses a simple arithmetic framework to classify and explain the performance of developing countries in closing the absolute digital divide. Four categories are created on the basis of two variables, namely, the penetration and rate of growth of mobile phones. The paper answers questions such as: Which countries do well and badly on both variables? Are the countries in these categories drawn from specific regions or similar income levels or is the distribution more random? How can similar countries from the same region appear in two diametrically opposite categories? What does this imply for policy? Author Affiliation: (1) Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands Article History: Registration Date: 28/12/2009 Accepted Date: 27/12/2009 Online Date: 07/01/2010

Byline: Chun-Li Tsai (1), Ming-Cheng Hung (1), Kevin Harriott (2) Keywords: Human capital compositions; Economic growth Abstract: The objective of this paper is to analyze the effect of various compositions of human capital on economic growth. We construct alternative measures of human capital composition using five fields of study. In each instance, the measure represents the number of graduates in the respective field as a percentage of all graduates. The measures are as follows: agriculture human capital (AGR) high-tech human capital (TECH) business and service human capital (SERVICE) the humanities human capital (HUMAN) and health and welfare human capital (HEALTH). This paper uses the OLS and System-Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) models to explain differential rates of growth among developed and developing countries. The evidence indicates the significant effects of education and high-tech human capital on growth. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Economics, National Cheng-Kung University, 1 University Rd, Tainan, 701, Taiwan (2) Competition Bureau, Fair Trading Commission, 52-60 Grenada Crescent, Kingston 5, Jamaica Article History: Registration Date: 07/12/2009 Accepted Date: 06/12/2009 Online Date: 03/01/2010

Byline: Bernhard Christoph (1) Keywords: Subjective well-being; Standard of living; Income Abstract: 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 'subjective well-being' will be used interchangeably. The same applies to the terms 'material circumstances', 'material conditions', 'material situation' and 'material well-being'). However, more recently authors began to ask the question, whether this might at least in part be explained by the insufficiencies of income as an indicator for the material situation. Building on this idea, they have shown that the inclusion of alternative measures for the respondents' material situation--such as wealth measures in particular--reveals that the relationship between a person's material well-being and his or her subjective well-being might just be somewhat stronger than researchers thought before. The paper will follow this lead but will go beyond current research by first, systematically reviewing the various approaches available for measuring the material situation and second, by proposing the use of a so-called deprivation index, an alternative measure of material well-being, which is frequently used in the context of poverty research (compare e.g. Townsend in Poverty in the United Kingdom, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, 1979 Hallerod in J Eur Soc Policy 5:111--129, 1995 Nolan and Whelan in J Eur Soc Policy 6:225--240, 1996). It will be argued, that such a deprivation based measure will perform better than indicators like income or wealth when analyzing the relationship between material conditions and subjective well-being. This hypothesis will be tested using three different German datasets. Based on this data it will be shown that in all cases deprivation measures perform better in explaining differences in subjective well-being than the alternatives. However, both types of measures seem to capture slightly different aspects of the material situation, a result which has also been found in the poverty literature cited above. Thus using a combination of both seems to be the best alternative. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute for Employment Research (IAB), Nuremberg, Germany Article History: Registration Date: 23/11/2009 Accepted Date: 22/11/2009 Online Date: 11/12/2009

Byline: Paul Dickes (1,2), Marie Valentova (2), Monique Borsenberger (2) Keywords: Social cohesion; Multidimensional scaling; Confirmatory factor analysis; EVS Abstract: The aim of the paper is to assess the construct validation of a multidimensional measure of social cohesion which is well theoretically grounded and has an equivalent/comparable interpretation across all European countries. Up-to-now published research on social cohesion is deficient in either one or both of these important aspects. This paper attempts to cover this gap. The task is accomplished in two steps. In the first step, we conceptualize social cohesion, flowing mainly from Bernard and Chan's definitions of social cohesion. Based on this theoretical framework we operationalize social cohesion and derive a set of intermediate indicators in the data. By return we verify whether these indicators empirically reflect/corroborate the multidimensional structure of the concept proposed by the theory. In the second step, we examine whether the obtained intermediate indicators of social cohesion form the same constructs across countries and whether they can yield a cross country equivalent measure of social cohesion. To test the validity of the theory we use multidimensional scaling and confirmatory factor analysis. Both models are able to verify the equivalence of the structural results between groups (i.e. countries). Confirmatory factor analysis produces further meaningful measures of these constructs. The analyses are based on the data from the 1999 European Values Study (EVS). The outcomes of the analyses reveal that, firstly, the existence of the multifaceted construct of social cohesion suggested by the theory has been corroborated by empirical analysis of the EVS data (i.e. social cohesion consists of components of formal and substantial relationships and political and socio-cultural domains). Secondly, the proposed constructs measuring social cohesion are equivalent across all analysed countries and thus allow the calculation of internationally comparable national scores of social cohesion. Application of the aggregate measures at the country level will illustrate the interest of the approach for further research. Author Affiliation: (1) Universite Nancy 2, Nancy, France (2) CEPS/INSTEAD Research Institute, B.P. 48, 4501, Differdange, Luxembourg Article History: Registration Date: 23/11/2009 Accepted Date: 22/11/2009 Online Date: 05/12/2009 Article note: We are most grateful to Alessio Fusco, Ingwer Borg and Michel Bauer for their helpful comments.

Byline: Richard J. Estes (1) Keywords: Development; Social development; Economic development; Sustainable development; Social transformation; Social indicators; Social progress; International; Comparative Abstract: 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 group conflicts, increasing militarization, among others, are pushing many developing nations toward the brink of social chaos. This paper focuses on worldwide development trends for the 40-year period 1970--2009. Particular attention is given to the disparities in development that exist between the world's 'rich' and 'poor' countries as well as the global forces that sustain these disparities. The paper also discusses more recent positive trends occurring within the world's 'socially least developed countries' (SLDCs), especially those located in Africa and Asia, in reducing poverty and in promoting improved quality of life for increasing numbers of their populations. Author Affiliation: (1) School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104-6214, USA Article History: Registration Date: 17/11/2009 Accepted Date: 09/11/2009 Online Date: 03/12/2009 Article note: An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 2009 Globalization Forum of the University of Pennsylvania Institute for Urban Research (PIUR) held at the University Museum on October 17, 2009.

Byline: Coral Rio (1), Olga Alonso-Villar (1) Keywords: Occupational segregation; Local segregation curves; Gender Abstract: The aim of this paper is to study occupational segregation by gender in Spain, which is a country where occupational segregation explains a large part of the gender wage gap. As opposed to previous studies, this paper measures not only overall segregation, but also the segregation of several population subgroups. For this purpose, this paper uses new measures recently proposed by Alonso-Villar and Del Rio ( Local versus overall segregation measures, Documento de Traballo 0802, Departamento de Economia Aplicada, Universidade de Vigo, 2008). Moreover, two decompositions of their local segregation curves are proposed, which allows us to go further in the empirical analysis. Author Affiliation: (1) Departamento de Economia Aplicada, Universidade de Vigo, Campus Lagoas-Marcosende s/n, 36310, Vigo, Spain Article History: Registration Date: 02/11/2009 Accepted Date: 01/11/2009 Online Date: 17/11/2009

Byline: Valerie Moller (1), Ida Erstad (1), Dalinyebo Zani (1) Keywords: Tuberculosis (TB); Drinking and smoking; Alcohol abuse; Stereotypes; Scapegoats; HIV/AIDS stigma Abstract: This paper follows up an unexpected finding from a community survey that identified drinking and smoking as the most important tuberculosis (TB) risk factor, far ahead of ones commonly associated with TB such as poverty, overcrowded living conditions, and HIV-positive status. It reports perceptions of drinking and smoking from a three-phased study of the stigma associated with TB, consisting of a qualitative pilot study using focus-group discussions (2006), a larger-scale community survey (2007), and follow-up group discussions (2009). The community attitude survey was conducted with a sample of 1,020 adults living in a low-income township in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study found that the moral and the biomedical understanding of TB risk are intertwined. In the community survey, perceptions of drinking and smoking as TB risk were predicted by fear of contracting TB and being a self-reported born-again Christian. In the follow-up study, heavy drinking and smoking in shebeens (unlicensed township liquor outlets) was associated with a risky lifestyle that can spread both TB and HIV. The paper discusses the similarities and differences in the roles of church and shebeen in providing social support to township dwellers to cope with problems of daily life. It is tentatively concluded that the stereotypical shebeen 'drinkers and smokers', alternatively pitied and maligned by moral society, might serve as the scapegoat that deflects pollution from the 'new' TB linked to the AIDS epidemic. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute of Social and Economic Research, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa Article History: Registration Date: 26/10/2009 Accepted Date: 25/10/2009 Online Date: 07/11/2009

Byline: Shailendra Singh Bisht (1), Vishal Mishra (1), Sanjay Fuloria (1) Keywords: Accessibility index; Public facility; Rural development Abstract: State is often involved in the challenging process of judicious allocation and apportioning of resources for an inclusive growth through creating infrastructure and ensuring accessibility- the 'ability of the people to reach and engage in opportunities and activities'. The issue at the heart of the debate concerns with the 'opportunities' available in a geographic area and the inhabitants' use of those opportunities in terms of their 'behaviour'. The extant literature suggests that the dominant component of the accessibility is mobility infrastructure. The present paper argues that the impact of the human development and the information infrastructure should also be considered. This paper uses the Indian census data of 2001 and develops the methodology for creating an accessibility index for a geographic unit. The paper also discusses the use of the accessibility index (AI) as a tool for evaluating the efficacy of a public policy initiative towards decreasing the exclusion of geographic units. Validation of the tool is done using the patient inflow data at a large charitable hospital in Central India and household level employment data from National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Author Affiliation: (1) Icfai Business School, C-208, C Block, Survey NO. 156/157, Donthanpally Village, Shankarpally Mandal, RR Dist, 501504, Andhra Pradesh, India Article History: Registration Date: 24/09/2009 Accepted Date: 21/09/2009 Online Date: 04/10/2009

Byline: Miia Bask (1) Keywords: Inequality; Longitudinal analysis; Social exclusion Abstract: In this paper, we examine the risk of social exclusion among the Swedish population from a longitudinal perspective. In the empirical analysis, a person is considered socially excluded if he or she suffers from at least two of the following six welfare problems: chronic unemployment, economic problems, health problems, experiences of threat or violence, crowded housing and lack of interpersonal relationships. Our three main findings are as follows: There is no evidence that immigrants have been better integrated into Swedish society over time from the perspective of social exclusion risk. Instead, there are weak signs that their situation has become worse. Further, even though men are worse off than women as regards the odds for social exclusion, there are weak signs that their relative situation has improved over time. Finally, compared to couples without children, there is clear evidence that the odds for social exclusion for singles with children have increased over time and that the odds for social exclusion for couples with children have decreased over time. We can, therefore, conclude that among these groups, the inequality has increased over time. To be able to make these conclusions, we have fitted several specifications of a logistic regression model with random effects for panel data to our data set. Author Affiliation: (1) Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 4, 00014, University of Helsinki, Finland Article History: Registration Date: 20/08/2009 Accepted Date: 19/08/2009 Online Date: 25/09/2009 Article note: This paper has benefitted from comments by an anonymous reviewer for the journal, Mikael Bask, Jarko Fidrmuc, David Gordon, Bjorn Hallerod and Kenneth Nelson as well as from presentations at various conferences and workshops. Further on, I am grateful to the Stanford Center for the Study of Poverty and Inequality at Stanford University for giving me the opportunity to finalize this paper during a longer research visit. The usual disclaimer applies.

Byline: Michael Grimm (1), Kenneth Harttgen (2), Stephan Klasen (2), Mark Misselhorn (2), Teresa Munzi (3), Timothy Smeeding (3,4) Keywords: Human development; Income inequality; Differential mortality; Inequality in education Abstract: One of the most frequent critiques of the HDI is that is does not take into account inequality within countries in its three dimensions. In this paper, we apply a simply approach to compute the three components and the overall HDI for quintiles of the income distribution. This allows a comparison of the level in human development of the poor with the level of the non-poor within countries, but also across countries. This is an application of the method presented in Grimm et al. (World Development 36(12):2527--2546, 2008) to a sample of 21 low and middle income countries and 11 industrialized countries. In particular the inclusion of the industrialized countries, which were not included in the previous work, implies to deal with a number of additional challenges, which we outline in this paper. Our results show that inequality in human development within countries is high, both in developed and industrialized countries. In fact, the HDI of the lowest quintiles in industrialized countries is often below the HDI of the richest quintile in many middle income countries. We also find, however, a strong overall negative correlation between the level of human development and inequality in human development. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Kortenaerkade 12, 2518 AX, The Hague, The Netherlands (2) Gottingen University, Gottingen, Germany (3) Luxembourg Income Study, Luxembourg, Luxembourg (4) University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA Article History: Registration Date: 25/05/2009 Received Date: 18/03/2009 Accepted Date: 24/05/2009 Online Date: 10/06/2009

Byline: Jan Delhey (1) Keywords: Happiness; Subjective well-being; Affluence; Modernization; Happiness recipe Abstract: This paper takes the theory of value change as developed by Inglehart as a point of departure and tests its implications for the determinants of human happiness. It investigates whether the importance of post-material concerns for happiness, relative to that of materialist concerns, is indeed higher in rich post-industrial societies. Personal autonomy and job creativity serve as indicators for post-materialist concerns, the income domain as an indicator for materialist concerns. The main assumption is put against data for 48 countries from wave 5 of the World Values Survey, the most recent survey, which covers the full range from poor agrarian to rich post-industrial societies. Employing a multi-level design, the paper indeed reveals a quite consistent pattern towards post-materialist happiness as we move from poor to rich societies. This pattern seems to be driven by both a devalorization of material concerns and a valorization of post-materialist concerns, although the evidence suggests that the former trend is stronger and more linear than the latter. Author Affiliation: (1) Jacobs University Bremen, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Campus Ring 1, 28759, Bremen, Germany Article History: Registration Date: 04/12/2009 Accepted Date: 10/11/2009 Online Date: 18/12/2009

Byline: Bruce Headey (1,2) Keywords: Set-point theory; Scientific paradigm; Subjective well-being; Stability and change Abstract: Set-point theory is the main research paradigm in the field of subjective well-being (SWB). It has been extended and refined for 30 years to take in new results. The central plank of the theory is that adult set-points do not change, except temporarily in the face of major life events. There was always some 'discordant data', including evidence that some events are so tragic (e.g. the death of one's child) that people never regain their set-point. It was possible to dismiss these events as 'exceptions' and maintain the theory. However, several new findings are emerging, which cannot be dismissed as 'exceptions' and which appear to require substantial revisions or replacement of set-point theory. Many of these findings are based on the German Socio-Economic Panel Survey (SOEP 1984-), which provides the longest available time series on life satisfaction. Despite its centrality, the concept of the set-point is often not precisely defined. In this paper three alternative working definitions are offered. Depending on which definition is used, it is found that over 20 years 14--30% of German panel members recorded large and apparently permanent changes in their set-points. Changes of this magnitude are not compatible with set-point theory as currently understood. The challenge for SWB researchers now is to develop a theory which can account for change as well as stability. Author Affiliation: (1) Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, Faculty of Economics and Commerce, University of Melbourne, Alan Gilbert Building, 3052, Grattan St., Parkville, VIC, Australia (2) German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), Berlin, Germany Article History: Registration Date: 04/12/2009 Accepted Date: 10/11/2009 Online Date: 06/02/2010 Article note: I would like to thank Gert G. Wagner, Director of the German Socio-Economic Panel at the German Institute for Economic Research, and Alex Wearing, my long term collaborator, for discussions and suggestions on which this paper is partly based.

Byline: Laura Camfield (1) Keywords: Illbeing; Child poverty; Child indicators; Ethiopia; Children; Qualitative; Understandings of poverty Abstract: The paper argues on the basis of data from Young Lives, an international study of childhood poverty, and an extensive review of child-centered poverty studies that experiences of relative poverty and social exclusion are as common and corrosive in contemporary Ethiopia as North America and Europe. If taken seriously, this insight could broaden the focus of child poverty reduction from nutrition and education to include the psychosocial costs of lacking the culturally-specific resources required for full participation in society. The paper makes a number of methodological points of value to researchers undertaking similar studies: firstly, poverty can be explored by asking about illbeing secondly, children's conceptions of poverty are profoundly social and context-specific and thirdly, young children are just as able to address these themes as older ones. Author Affiliation: (1) Young Lives, DoID-QeH, University of Oxford, 3 Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TB, UK Article History: Registration Date: 23/03/2009 Received Date: 10/03/2009 Accepted Date: 21/03/2009 Online Date: 10/04/2009

Byline: Tak-yan Lee (1), Wai-man Kwong (1), Chau-kiu Cheung (1), Michael Ungar (2), Maria Y. L. Cheung (3) Keywords: Adversity; Resilience; Positive child development; Behavioral quality of life; Chinese children Abstract: This paper reports the findings of a longitudinal childhood resilience study which investigated the relationship between resilience-related beliefs and positive child development. Three waves of data collection (T1, T2, and T3) were completed in January 2005, July 2005, and January 2006 with a sample of 843 grade 4 pupils, drawn from six primary schools in Hong Kong, and their parents or guardians. At T1, parents/guardians responded to a 24-item inventory of life adversities affecting their children since birth at T1 and T3, they completed a 25-item Parental Assessment of Child's Habit, which provided parental evaluation of children's performance at home and in school. At T1, T2, and T3, children responded to a 58-item Child and Youth Resilience Measure, a 9-item scale on Chinese cultural beliefs about adversity, and an 11-item Chinese Resilience Measure for Children and Adolescents in Hong Kong. Regression analyses, based on linear mixed models, controlling for gender, T1 and T2 scores, personal variables, and random effects of schools, were conducted to test and validate the hypothesis that children's resilience beliefs are predictive of positive child development, and that this predictive relationship is stronger with increasing adversity in children's lives. Implications of these findings for the development of resilience-based interventions to enhance the quality of life of children facing adversities are examined. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Applied Social Studies, City University of Hong Kong, 83 Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong S.A.R., China (2) Maritime School of Social Work, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, B3H 3J5, Canada (3) Faculty of Social Work, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada Article History: Registration Date: 22/09/2009 Accepted Date: 23/07/2009 Online Date: 13/10/2009 Article note: An earlier version of this paper was presented at the International Conference on Human Development and the Environment: Advances in Quality of Life Studies. December 12--13, 2008, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong S.A.R., China.

Byline: Maria Francesca Cracolici (1), Miranda Cuffaro (2), Peter Nijkamp (1) Keywords: Socio-economic well-being; Living standards; Structural simultaneous equation model Abstract: 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 in an integrated logical framework. Based on this idea, a structural simultaneous equation model will be presented and estimated in order to explore the direction of the causal relationship between economic and non-economic aspects of a country's performance. Furthermore, an exploration of the trajectory that each country has registered over time along a virtuous path will be offered. By means of a matrix persistency/transition analysis, the countries will be classified in clusters of good/bad performance. One of the most interesting conclusions concerns the inability of most countries to turn the higher educational skills of the population into greater economic performance over time. In addition, our analysis also shows that making an accurate picture record and formulating related policy aiming at environmental care is highly desirable. It is surprising that only a few countries have reached a favourable economic and environmental performance simultaneously. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Spatial Economics, Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2) Department of National Accounting and Analysis of Social Processes, University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy Article History: Registration Date: 09/03/2009 Received Date: 09/12/2008 Accepted Date: 09/03/2009 Online Date: 09/04/2009

Byline: Michael Noble (1,2,3), Helen Barnes (1), Gemma Wright (1), Benjamin Roberts (4) Keywords: Multiple deprivation; Indices; South Africa Abstract: This paper presents the Provincial Indices of Multiple Deprivation that were constructed by the authors at ward level using 2001 Census data for each of South Africa's nine provinces. The principles adopted in conceptualising the indices are described and multiple deprivation is defined as a weighted combination of discrete dimensions of deprivation. The methodological approach used is outlined and key findings are presented for one province--the Eastern Cape. The paper summarises the ways in which the research is being developed further and the potential uses of these tools for policy and research. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford, Barnett House, 32 Wellington Square, Oxford, OX1 2ER, UK (2) University of Fort Hare, Alice, South Africa (3) Policy Analysis Unit, Human Sciences Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa (4) Child, Youth, Family and Social Development, Human Sciences Research Council, Durban, South Africa Article History: Registration Date: 02/03/2009 Received Date: 02/12/2008 Accepted Date: 02/03/2009 Online Date: 26/03/2009

Byline: Alisha Judith Coleman-Jensen (1) Keywords: Food insecurity; Food security measurement; U.S. Current Population Survey Abstract: United States Department of Agriculture defines food insecure as answering affirmatively to three or more food insecurity questions describing a household's ability to acquire enough food. Households indicating low levels of food insecurity (one or two affirmative responses) are considered food secure. This paper compares the characteristics of households with one or two positive survey responses (termed marginally secure in this paper) to those with zero positive responses (food secure) and those with three or more positive responses (food insecure). The analysis utilizes Current Population Survey Food Security Supplement data to compare the characteristics and food purchasing of food secure, marginally secure and food insecure households using binomial and multinomial logistic regression and t-tests. Binomial logistic regression models indicate that grouping insecure and marginally secure households together does not change predictors of food insecurity. Multinomial logistic regression models suggest a three category definition of food insecurity is appropriate because there are distinctions among the three categories. There are significant differences in food spending across the groups. Prevalence of U.S. food insecurity and need for food assistance may be underestimated because marginally food secure households are considered food secure. The current measure fails to recognize that marginally secure households may experience poorer quality of life as do food insecure households. Author Affiliation: (1) The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA Article History: Registration Date: 09/02/2009 Received Date: 09/12/2008 Accepted Date: 07/02/2009 Online Date: 20/02/2009

Byline: Jodie Asselin (1), John R. Parkins (1) Keywords: Mackenzie gas project; Pipeline impacts; Social indicators; Strategic assessment; Community development Abstract: Social impact assessment (SIA) is increasingly an accepted component of environmental impact assessment and project evaluation throughout North America. Tools and methodologies utilized to conduct such assessments vary greatly and continue to evolve with time and experience. This paper follows the evolution of case study methods in social impact assessment, focusing primarily on the comparative diachronic method. Exploring the utility of this method, this paper compares the potential social and economic impacts of the Mackenzie Gas Project (MGP) in the community of Inuvik, Northwest Territories, with the known social and economic impacts of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) in the community of Valdez, Alaska. Through such comparison, insights into potential impacts from the proposed Mackenzie Gas Project are assessed while also drawing attention to, and discussing, the specific strengths and weaknesses of a comparative case study approach to social impact assessment. Author Affiliation: (1) University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Article History: Registration Date: 19/01/2009 Received Date: 29/09/2008 Accepted Date: 18/01/2009 Online Date: 01/02/2009

Byline: Noelia Somarriba (1), Bernardo Pena (2) Keywords: Quality of life; Synthetic indicators; Distance measures; Data envelopment analysis; Principal components analysis Abstract: For more than three decades now, sociologists, politicians and economists have used a wide range of statistical and econometric techniques to analyse and measure the quality of life of individuals with the aim of obtaining useful instruments for social, political and economic decision making. The aim of this paper is to analyse the advantages and disadvantages of three possible methodologies for obtaining synthetic indicators for the area of welfare and quality of life. These methodologies are Principal Components Analysis, Data Envelopment Analysis and Measure of Distance P.sub.2. Furthermore this paper analyses quality of life in the European Union (EU), as a methodological exercise to demonstrate the principles of calculation, implications and differences between the three indicator-construction approaches. This analysis is particularly useful in a scene like the EU, immersed in a deep transformation process and with profound cultural, economic and social inequalities. Therefore, an analysis of the quality of life and well-being of its inhabitants can play a major role in ironing out such differences. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Applied Economics, University of Valladolid, Valladolid, Spain (2) Department of Economic Statistics, Economic Structure and International Economic Organization, University of Alcala, Alcala de Henares, Spain Article History: Registration Date: 20/10/2008 Received Date: 15/01/2008 Accepted Date: 19/10/2008 Online Date: 21/11/2008

Byline: Kairi Kasearu (1) Keywords: Work-life conflict; Cohabitation; Gender ideology Abstract: This paper explores the strategies for reconciling family and work in different union types. The focus here is on investigating how cohabiting and married individuals perceive the work-life conflict in different European countries. To test the union type impact on work-life balance in the context of different societal conditions, this paper draws on 2004 ESS data from Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Slovenia and Estonia (European Social Survey 2004). The pooled country data are examined to analyze the association between work-life conflict and socio-demographic, as well as family-level characteristics of individuals. The findings did not demonstrate uniform differences in the work-life conflict of married and cohabiting couples. However, a higher degree of work-life conflict among Swedish cohabiting women was still significant when controlling for individual characteristics, household composition and working conditions. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute of Sociology and Social Policy, University of Tartu, Tiigi str 78-212, 50410, Tartu, Estonia Article History: Registration Date: 30/12/2008 Accepted Date: 21/12/2007 Online Date: 16/01/2009

Byline: Stefani Scherer (1) Keywords: Employment instability; Temporary jobs; Work and family conflict; Work-family conciliation Abstract: Forms of insecure employment have been increasing all over Europe in recent decades. These developments have been welcomed by those who argued that these types of flexible employment would not only foster employment but could also help women, in particular, to positively combine work and family life. This vision was questioned by others who argued that flexible employment could have negative consequences for both occupational prospects and private and family life since it is often associated with greater insecurity and poorer working conditions. Relatively little research has been dedicated to the 'social consequences' of insecure employment and its specific implications for work-life reconciliation issues. This paper contributes to this topic by linking research that addresses work-life conflict to the wider body of work dealing with job insecurity. It investigates the consequences of certain employment contracts on private and family life, taking into account information on current family life, future family plans and general well-being. It provides a series of test relating to the extent to which negative consequences in these areas might be attributable to the type of employment contract and how these vary between European countries. Analysis using ESS data from 2004 for western European countries confirms that insecure employment is accompanied by more problematic 'social and family' situations. These negative consequences are partly shaped by the specific context provided by the country in question. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Sociology and Social Research, Trento University, Via Verdi 26, 38100, Trento, Italy Article History: Registration Date: 30/12/2008 Accepted Date: 21/12/2008 Online Date: 29/01/2009 Article note: A more complete version of the paper is available here: http://portale.unitn.it/bpmapp-upload/download/fstore/7f0000016c9f2f72_789144_11e8cf589ef_2fa9/SocialConsequences_of_InsecureJobs.pdf.

Byline: Vanessa Gash (1) Keywords: Wages; Maternal employment; Cross-national analysis Abstract: This paper examines the extent of and the mechanisms behind the penalty to motherhood in six European countries. Each country provides different levels of support for maternal employment allowing us to determine institutional effects on labour market outcome. While mothers tend to earn less than non-mothers, the penalty to motherhood is considerably lower in countries with policy support for working mothers. The paper establishes the United Kingdom and West Germany to have the least policy support for working mothers as well as the largest penalties to motherhood. Author Affiliation: (1) Cathie March Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR), School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, Kantorovich Building, Humanities Bridgeford Street, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK Article History: Registration Date: 30/12/2008 Accepted Date: 21/12/2008 Online Date: 17/01/2009

Byline: Jonathan Gershuny (1) Keywords: Time use; Work/leisure balance Abstract: This paper explores the historical change in the work-leisure balance using time-diary evidence. Much of the recent discussion of this balance in the developed world has focused on paid work alone. What follows takes a different approach, considering the balance of all work time (paid plus unpaid) against leisure time and observes a tendency over recent decades for leisure to decline relative to work in this broad sense. Much is changing, in employment, family and consumption terms over this period. One possibility is that the relative increase in work time reflects the reversal of the status/leisure gradient: the financially privileged classes, which once had more leisure than others, now have less. But the paper closes with the speculation that this increase in work time for both men and women may be indirectly connected with the phenomenon of the women's 'dual burden', via an unconsidered but nevertheless important principle of fairness in the distribution of work within households. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UQ, UK Article History: Registration Date: 04/11/2008 Accepted Date: 01/08/2008 Online Date: 24/12/2008

Byline: Nikolaj Malchow-Moller (1,2), Jakob Roland Munch (1,3), Sanne Schroll (1,2), Jan Rose Skaksen (1,4) Keywords: Attitudes; Immigration; Cross-country differences Abstract: In this paper, we use data from the first two rounds of the European Social Survey to analyze the extent to which differences in average attitudes towards immigration across the EU-15 countries may be explained by differences in socioeconomic characteristics and individually perceived consequences of immigration, using an extension of a decomposition technique developed by Fairlie (2005). We find that despite the significant effects of socioeconomic characteristics on attitudes, differences in the distributions of these characteristics can only explain a modest share of the cross-country variation in average attitudes. A larger part can be explained by differences in perceived consequences of immigration, but the main part is still left unexplained. Apart from providing useful input for policy makers working in the area of immigration policy, this raises a number of questions for further research for which the ESS data can be successfully applied. Author Affiliation: (1) Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR), Copenhagen Business School, PorcelA|nshaven 16A, 2000, Frederiksberg, Denmark (2) University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230, Odense M, Denmark (3) University of Copenhagen, Norregade 10, 1165, Copenhagen K, Denmark (4) Copenhagen Business School, PorcelA|nshaven 16A, 2000, Frederiksberg, Denmark Article History: Registration Date: 06/10/2008 Accepted Date: 06/10/2008 Online Date: 31/10/2008 Article note: This paper is part of a joint project between CEBR and the Rockwool Foundation Research Unit. Financial support from the Rockwool Foundation is gratefully acknowledged. We thank Andrew Clark and an anonymous referee for valuable comments, and Vibeke Borchsenius and Jonas Helth Lonborg for excellent research assistance.

Byline: Bruno Amable (1,2,3) Abstract: This paper tests the impact of various determinants of the preference for two key elements of the European social models: redistribution and trade unions, using individual data from the first round of the European Social Survey. The basic hypothesis is that the main determinant of an individual's support for these elements of the European models is the social position of the individual in terms of income, status and risks attached to their labour market insertion. The paper also considers the relative importance of less 'materialist' influences such as religion or other cultural determinants. The estimations show that 'materialist' determinants are by far the most important influences on individual preferences, contrary to what most social theories of modernisation contend. Author Affiliation: (1) Universite de Paris I -- Maison des Sciences Economiques, 106-112 Boulevard de I'Hopital, 75647, Paris cedex 13, France (2) CES, Paris, France (3) CEPREMAP, Paris, France Article History: Registration Date: 06/10/2008 Accepted Date: 06/10/2008 Online Date: 04/11/2008

Byline: Vicente Royuela (1), Javier Romani (1), Manuel Artis (1) Keywords: Quality of life; Urban economics; Urban areas; Commuting algorithms; Gravitation models Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to develop the concept and definition of multidimensional urban areas, thereby providing insights into our understanding of the sub-regional structures of household spatial systems. Hence, we propose a framework for strategic planning that considers several areas of household needs. In order to achieve this goal, we develop a multicriteria methodology to define the territorialisation of the region of Catalonia (Spain). We first analyse the different methodologies used to define territorial areas based on economic criteria, for example, those used to construct travel-to-work areas (TTWA), among other methods. Thus, in practice several criteria and techniques are used to organize a territory, including administrative areas, commuting-based algorithms, and gravitational techniques. Finally, these points help us build a system of multicriteria urban areas that is consistent with the overall use of time by individuals. Author Affiliation: (1) Grup d'Analisi Quantitativa Regional (AQR-IREA), Universitat de Barcelona, Facultad CC. Economicas, Av. Diagonal, 690, 08034, Barcelona, Spain Article History: Registration Date: 29/05/2008 Received Date: 19/11/2007 Accepted Date: 27/05/2008 Online Date: 01/07/2008 Article note: We are grateful to Monica Reyes for allowing us to use some of the results of her previous research, and to Jordi Surinach for his support and comments. This paper summarises the results of a study developed for the Observatori de Desenvolupament Estrategic de Catalunya (ODECAT), of the Regional Government of Catalonia. We also thank the financial support of, SEJ2006-07665, SEJ2007-67767-C04-02, and CICYT SEJ2005-04348-ECON.

Byline: Gina Crivello (1), Laura Camfield (1), Martin Woodhead (2) Keywords: Children; Youth; Wellbeing; Qualitative methods; Participatory approach; Young lives Abstract: 'Wellbeing' is a key concept in the study of children's lives over time, given its potential to link the objective, subjective, and inter-subjective dimensions of their experiences in ways that are holistic, contextualized and longitudinal. For this reason wellbeing is one of the core concepts used by Young Lives, a 15-year project (2000--2015) that follows the lives of 12,000 children growing up in the context of poverty in Ethiopia, Peru, Vietnam and Andhra Pradesh (India) (see http://www.younglives.org.uk ). This paper examines a selection of methods being used by Young Lives to capture aspects of child wellbeing in the context of a range of children's life experiences related to poverty, specific risks and protective processes. It draws on a review of the literature on child-focused methods and on recent experiences piloting three core qualitative methods in the four study countries. The paper reports the development of a methodology that is child-centred, but also acknowledges that every child is embedded within a network of social and economic relationships. Author Affiliation: (1) Young Lives, Department of International Development, University of Oxford, Queen Elizabeth House, 3 Mansfield Road, OX1 3TB, Oxford, UK (2) Child and Youth Studies Group, The Open University, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK Article History: Registration Date: 13/08/2008 Accepted Date: 13/08/2008 Online Date: 16/09/2008

Byline: Melania Calestani (1) Keywords: Anthropology; 'The good life'; Household; El Alto; Bolivia Abstract: This paper addresses my understanding of well-being as harmonious relations in the city of El Alto, Bolivia. My approach shows the complexity of issues emerging when dealing with social relations. First of all, I analyse a specific case study showing the moral obligation involved among household members. Then I attempt to provide an insight into other aspects of social life to realise that the same degree of moral duty can be found when people participate in religious festivities or social protests. Collaboration, unity and co-operation often coexist with conflicts and moral obligation. The paper argues that this picture of complex coexistence is rather different from the substantive freedom described by Sen (Development as freedom. Oxford University Press, 1999) in his capability approach. By taking Sen's theoretical framework as a point of departure for this investigation, it aims to emphasise the value of ethnography and other qualitative methods to the study of well-being. In the field of well-being, social interaction may greatly affect people's capabilities to choose the lives they have reason to value, obliging them to follow certain models based on shared values and preferences. The paper contributes to debates on this specific issue, trying to shed light on the picture emerging when engaging with ethnographic research. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Geography, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK Article History: Registration Date: 13/08/2008 Accepted Date: 13/08/2008 Online Date: 06/09/2008

Byline: Meera Tiwari (1) Keywords: Poverty; Wellbeing; Grassroots level Abstract: This paper discusses the grassroots level understanding of poverty and wellbeing. There is rich debate and ever expanding literature on the meaning of wellbeing and poverty and their relationship in developing countries. In recent times wellbeing and poverty have been scrutinised within the discourse on multidimensionality of poverty. Most research outputs though are grounded in quantitative data. Investigations that focus on the perceptions and understandings of poor people about their situations remain sparse in the literature. The current study is an attempt to address this gap. The paper explores the common grounds and the points of departure between the researchers' views of poverty and wellbeing and the perception at the grassroots. The paper presents findings of primary research conducted by the author in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh and Madhubani district of Bihar in India. Semi-structured survey instruments were deployed to interview a selection of poor, marginal and non-poor households. In addition to identifying the commonalities in grassroots and researchers' understandings of poverty, the paper draws attention to factors that may be outside the radar of the researchers. It is envisaged that mapping a more holistic understanding of poverty and wellbeing will have important long-term policy implications for poverty reduction. Author Affiliation: (1) University of East London, Docklands Campus, University Way, London, E16 2RD, UK Article History: Registration Date: 13/08/2008 Accepted Date: 13/08/2008 Online Date: 12/09/2008

Byline: Tekola Bethlehem (1), Christine Griffin (1), Laura Camfield (1) Keywords: Addis Ababa; Kolfe; Children; Poverty; Wellbeing Abstract: This paper discusses the advantages and challenges of using qualitative methods to elicit poor children's perspectives about threats and positive influences on their wellbeing. It draws on research carried out by the author on the subjective experiences of poor children in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia in terms of their understandings of wellbeing, threats to their wellbeing, coping strategies, and positive or resilient outcomes. After a brief introduction reviewing previous approaches to child poverty in general and research on Ethiopian children in particular, the second section describes the research setting and the ethical approach to the study, which influenced how consent was obtained and the data analysed. The paper then describes the use of qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews, draw-and-tell, and diaries, the kinds of data they produced and the methodological and ethical dilemmas and tensions encountered in using them. It concludes that despite the challenges qualitative methods are invaluable in order to understand what poor children see as threats and positive influences on their wellbeing. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK Article History: Registration Date: 13/08/2008 Accepted Date: 13/08/2008 Online Date: 17/09/2008

Byline: Zhenghui Chen (1), Gareth Davey (2) Keywords: China; Life satisfaction; Normative range Abstract: Research over several decades about subjective life satisfaction has led to the conclusion that the majority of people seem to be satisfied with their lives when their social and physical needs are met. In empirical studies which have used self-report instruments, this trend is reflected in respondents' consistent preference for the positive end of scales. This led to the suggestion that there is a normative range for life satisfaction, which should hold true for general population data and, therefore, serve as a reference point, or a gold standard, for comparison (Cummins Social Indicators Research, 35, 179--200, 1995, Social Indicators Research, 43, 307--334, 1998). Subsequent research has shown that Western and non-Western samples generally conform to the normative range, but more data are needed from Chinese societies. In an attempt to remedy this situation, this paper investigates normative life satisfaction there. This paper reanalyses published and unpublished data from various Chinese societies (People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, and Taiwan) in order to confirm whether or not they lie within the normative range for non-Western countries. The results provide support for the relevance of Cummins's normative range in Chinese societies. That the normative range generalised to the present study is a very useful finding, as it supports its utility for Chinese samples, and adds support to a theoretical explanation -- i.e. the Wellbeing Homeostatisis theory--in Chinese groups. Author Affiliation: (1) Psychology Department, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai Campus, Zhuhai, China (2) Psychology Department, University of Chester, Parkgate Road, Chester, CH1 4BJ, UK Article History: Registration Date: 10/03/2008 Received Date: 29/01/2008 Accepted Date: 09/03/2008 Online Date: 26/03/2008

Byline: Grace K. L. Lee (1), Edwin H. W. Chan (1) Keywords: AHP; MCDM; Urban renewal; Proposal assessment; Hong Kong Abstract: The problem of urban decay in Hong Kong is getting worse recently therefore, the importance of urban renewal in improving the physical environment conditions and the living standards of the citizens is widely recognized in the territory. However, it is not an easy task for the Hong Kong Government to prepare welcome urban renewal proposals because the citizens, professionals and other concerned parties have their own expectations which are difficult to be addressed all at the same time. Although it is impossible to satisfy all stakeholders concerning urban renewal, it is preferable to have proposals conforming to the interests of the majority and beneficial to the present and future generations. This paper adopts the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to work out the most sustainable design proposal for an area undergoing urban renewal. AHP is a robust multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) method for solving social, governmental and corporate decision problems. Since there is a lack of published papers demonstrating a systematic and effective way for urban renewal proposal assessment, this paper attempts to fill this gap with the help of AHP. Author Affiliation: (1) The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong Article History: Registration Date: 03/12/2007 Received Date: 14/06/2007 Accepted Date: 03/12/2007 Online Date: 14/12/2007

Byline: Bruce Headey (1) Keywords: Poverty; Consumption; Net worth; Low income; Household financial accounts Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to suggest an improved measure of financial poverty, based on household consumption and wealth as well as income. Data come from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Australia (HILDA) Survey, which appears to be the first national socio-economic panel survey to provide longitudinal data on all three measures of household economic well-being. National measures of poverty in Australia and other Western countries are usually based only on low income. But this is conceptually incorrect the measures lack validity. To be poor is to have a low material standard of living--involuntarily. So measures of poverty should also take account of household consumption and wealth. If a household has an adequate current level of consumption, it should not be classified as poor right now, even if its current income is low. Similarly, if it has substantial wealth (net worth), it should not be viewed as poor because it could draw down on wealth to boost current consumption. The invalidity of income-based measures has long been recognised in principle (Ringen 1987, The possibility of politics. Oxford: Clarendon Press). In practical terms, the problem is to combine measures of wealth and income, and especially consumption, in the same survey. In the 2005 HILDA Survey a battery of household expenditure items was included which, benchmarked against the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Household Expenditure Survey for 2003--04, appeared to provide valid measurement of 53.4% of total household expenditure. These well measured items correlated 0.76 with total expenditure and, in combination with standard demographic variables, accounted for 78.3% of the variance in the total. This paper uses 2005--06 HILDA data to construct revised measures of financial poverty. The value of these measures for public policy and research purposes is illustrated. In particular, the new measures give much lower estimates of poverty than income-based measures. They can also be used to predict which households are at risk of future poverty. Author Affiliation: (1) Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic & Social Research, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3052, Australia Article History: Registration Date: 17/12/2007 Received Date: 05/09/2007 Accepted Date: 17/12/2007 Online Date: 18/01/2008

Byline: Richard Ball (1), Kateryna Chernova (2) Keywords: Subjective well-being; Happiness; Relative income Abstract: This paper uses data from the World Values Survey to investigate how an individual's self-reported happiness is related to (i) the level of her income in absolute terms, and (ii) the level of her income relative to other people in her country. The main findings are that (i) both absolute and relative income are positively and significantly correlated with happiness, (ii) quantitatively, changes in relative income have much larger effects on happiness than do changes in absolute income, and (iii) the effects on happiness of both absolute and relative income are small when compared to the effects several non-pecuniary factors. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Economics, Haverford College, 370 Lancaster Avenue, Haverford, PA, 19041, USA (2) Exelon Corporation, 300 Exelon Way, Kennett Square, PA, 19348, USA Article History: Registration Date: 05/11/2007 Received Date: 24/10/2007 Accepted Date: 05/11/2007 Online Date: 27/11/2007 Article note: Kateryna Chernova completed work on this paper while an undergraduate student at Bryn Mawr College.

Byline: Frank Sena Arku (1), Glen C. Filson (1), James Shute (1) Keywords: Community development; Sustainable livelihood; Rural; Ghana; Economic; Social; Religious; Education Abstract: The paper indicates using community development and sustainable livelihood theories as lenses that well-being indicators vary among societies, especially in developing countries due cultural differences. The study which was carried in three rural communities in Ho Municipality in the Ghana was to show the extent to which men's and women's sense of well-being were determined by their local economic, religious, social, and education indicators all of which were driven by their cultural values. Since men and women placed different values on religious, social, economic, education indicators, the paper discusses that their importance to overall well-being also differs between men and women. Author Affiliation: (1) Rural Studies, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada, N1G 2W1 Article History: Registration Date: 15/10/2007 Received Date: 17/07/2007 Accepted Date: 15/10/2007 Online Date: 31/10/2007

Byline: Richard P. Chaykowski (1), George A. Slotsve (2) Keywords: Low wage; Labour standards; Labour policy; Vulnerable Abstract: This paper characterizes vulnerable workers in Canada and the federal jurisdiction, based upon characteristics such as employment status, demographic characteristics, and job characteristics, and identifies areas in which labour standards may have a role. Based on this analysis, the paper evaluates the potential for labour standards to address economic vulnerability, focusing on labour standards policies aimed at wages and benefits, hours, and employment arrangements. In addition, the analysis considers the extent to which labour standards are likely to reach vulnerable workers. The results suggest several potential roles for labour standards and highlights policy implications. Author Affiliation: (1) School of Policy Studies, Policy Studies Building, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada, K7L 3N6 (2) Department of Economics, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, 60115, USA Article History: Registration Date: 18/10/2007 Accepted Date: 18/10/2007 Online Date: 06/11/2007

Byline: Rachel Sabates-Wheeler (1), Ricardo Sabates (2), Adriana Castaldo (3) Keywords: Migration; Poverty; Subjective poverty Abstract: Are migrants able to use the migration experience to their benefit, that is to improve their livelihoods, and is this result nuanced by whether migrants are poor or non-poor? This paper explores these questions quantitatively using data on migrants and non-migrants from Ghana and Egypt. It describes the main challenges in the empirical literature and introduces a conceptual model to explore the links between migration and poverty. The empirical model accounts for the direct effects of migration on poverty and for the role of migration in moderating the dynamics of poverty. Results show the selectivity of migration with respect to subjective poverty and that migration can have a significant impact on helping people improve their livelihoods. The paper further finds that selectivity with respect to human capital depends on 'reasons for migration' and visa status. These findings enrich existing empirical studies by providing a clear estimation of sequential events and enable policymakers to better understand the processes behind migration and poverty. Author Affiliation: (1) Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RE, UK (2) Institute of Education, University of London, London, UK (3) Development Research Centre on Migration, Globalization and poverty, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9RE, UK Article History: Registration Date: 04/06/2007 Received Date: 02/02/2007 Accepted Date: 04/06/2007 Online Date: 07/07/2007

Byline: Hock-Eam Lim (1,2) Keywords: Happiness; Comparison of mean happiness; Rescaling; Transition probability Abstract: This paper uses data of reported happiness which is measured at 4, 5, 7 and 11 likert-scale points. A group of 137 respondents was selected to study the comparison problem on the estimated mean happiness using direct rescaling. It is found that the 11-point scale's estimated mean happiness is significantly higher than the 4 and 7-point scale. This paper also proposes an alternate method of rescaling using transition probabilities as weights. This adjusted rescaling resembles the calculation of expected value and provides better mean comparison. Author Affiliation: (1) Department of Economics, Monash University, Victoria, Australia (2) Faculty of Economics, Universiti Utara Malaysia, Sintok, Kedah, 06010, Malaysia Article History: Registration Date: 16/07/2007 Received Date: 29/10/2006 Accepted Date: 16/07/2007 Online Date: 04/08/2007