Abstract
The absence of an explicit theoretical framework seems to have led to a number of objectionable features — empirical as well as conceptual — in previous attempts to construct and apply QOL measures. This paper presents a theoretical framework for QOL measurement based on individual utility maximization. Without severe restrictions on the form of the utility function, however, this framework does not lead to meaningful average or aggregate QOL measures. Furthermore, our empirical analysis indicates that attempts to use currently available QOL measures — despite their conceptual inadequacy — in the analysis of migration have been ill conceived.
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Gillingham, R., Reece, W.S. Analytical problems in the measurement of the quality of life. Soc Indic Res 7, 91–101 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305594
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305594