The Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) is an attempt to measure the
quality of life
Quality of life (QOL) is defined by the World Health Organization as "an individual's perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards ...
or well-being of a country. The value is the average of three statistics: basic literacy rate, infant mortality, and life expectancy at age one, all equally weighted on a 1 to 100 scale.
It was developed for the
Overseas Development Council in the mid-1970s by Morris David Morris, as one of a number of measures created due to dissatisfaction with the use of
GNP
The gross national income (GNI), previously known as gross national product (GNP), is the total domestic and foreign output claimed by residents of a country, consisting of gross domestic product (GDP), plus factor incomes earned by foreign ...
as an indicator of development. PQLI might be regarded as an improvement but shares the general problems of measuring quality of life in a quantitative way. It has also been criticized because there is considerable overlap between infant mortality and life expectancy.
The
UN Human Development Index is a more widely used means of measuring well-being.
Steps to Calculate Physical Quality of Life:
1) Find percentage of the population that is literate (literacy rate).
2) Find the infant mortality rate. (out of 1000 births)
INDEXED Infant Mortality Rate = (166 - infant mortality) × 0.625
3) Find the Life Expectancy.
INDEXED Life Expectancy = (Life expectancy - 42) × 2.7
4) Physical Quality of Life =
(Literacy Rate + INDEXED Infant Mortality Rate + INDEXED Life Expectancy)
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:- ABOUT PHYSICAL QUALITY OF LIFE INDEX= PQLI : Increase in national income and per capita income are not the real indicators of economic development, as it has a number of limitations. Increasing incomes of the country are concentrated in the hands of a few people, which is not development. The development of a country should be such that the living standards of the poor rise, and the basic requirements of the citizens are fulfilled. Keeping this in mind, Morris Davis Morris presented the physical quality of life index, in short known as the PQLI. In this index, betterment of physical quality of life of human beings is considered economic development. The level of physical quality of life determines the level of economic development. If any country's physical quality of life is higher than that of the other country, then that country is considered as more developed. There are three standards to measure the physical quality, which are depicted here:
1)- Extent of Education,
2)- Life Expectancy &
3)- Infant Mortality Rate
See also
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Basic Well-being Index (BWI)
*
Human Poverty Index
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Quality-of-life Index
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s where-to-be-born index (previously called the quality-of-life index, abbreviated QLI) attempts to measure which country will provide the best opportunities for a healthy, safe and prosperous life in the years ah ...
, a different index calculated in 2005
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Quality of well-being scale
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Gross National Happiness
Gross National Happiness (GNH), sometimes called Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH), is a philosophy that guides the government of Bhutan. It includes an index which is used to measure the collective happiness and well-being of a population. Gross Na ...
*
Bhutan GNH Index
Gross National Happiness (GNH), sometimes called Gross Domestic Happiness (GDH), is a philosophy that guides the government of Bhutan. It includes an index which is used to measure the collective happiness and well-being of a population. Gross Nat ...
*
Happiness economics
References
Quality of life
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