Abstract
The aim of this critical assessment of the Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi Report was to provoke discussion and improvements in future developments of quality of life research undertaken by official statistical agencies. I would like to thank Jochen Jesinghaus and Andrea Saltelli for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of the paper.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andrews, F. M., & Withey, S. B. (1976). Social indicators of well-being. New York: Plenum Press.
Aristotle (1999). Nicomachean ethics (T. Irwin, second edition, Trans.). Indianapolis: Hackett Pub. Co.
Commission (2009). In J. E. Stiglitz, A. Sen, & J.-P. Fitoussi (Eds.), Report by the commission on the measurement of economic performance and social progress. Paris: Commission.
Crummey, E., and Victor, P. (2008). Statistics Canada’s Ecological Footprint Workshop: Final Report, March 1. (Draft obtained from P. Victor, Professor of Environmental Studies, York University).
Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., Schimmack, U., & Helliwell, J. F. (2009). Well-being for public policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Gertner, J.: 2010, “The rise and fall of the G.D.P.”, New York Times, Sunday Magazine, May 16, p.MM60.
Gross, B. M. (1966). The state of the nation: Social systems accounting. In R. A. Bauer (Ed.), Social indicators. Cambridge: The M.I.TPress.
Hagerty, M. R., Cummins, R. A., Ferriss, A. L., Land, K. C., Michalos, A. C., Peterson, M., et al. (2001). Quality of life indexes for national policy: Review and agenda for research. Social Indicators Research, 55(1), 1–96.
Hagerty, M. R., & Land, K. C. (2007). Constructing summary indices of quality of life: A model for the effect of heterogeneous importance weights. Sociological Methods and Research, 35, 455–496.
Juster, F. T. (1973). A framework for the measurement of economic and social performance. In M. Moss (Ed.), The measurement of economic and social performance. New York: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Michalos, A. C. (1970). Cost-benefit versus expected utility acceptance rules. Theory and Decision, 1, 61–88.
Michalos, A. C. (1978). Foundations of decision making. Ottawa: Canadian Library of Philosophy.
Michalos, A. C. (1980a). North American social report: A comparative study of the quality of life in Canada and the USA from 1964 to 1974, volume one foundations, population and health. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Michalos, A. C. (1980b). North American social report: A comparative study of the quality of life in Canada and the USA from 1964 to 1974, volume two, crime, justice and politics. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Michalos, A. C. (1981a). North American social report: A comparative study of the quality of life in Canada and the USA from 1964 to 1974, volume three, science, education and recreation. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Michalos, A. C. (1981b). North American social report: A comparative study of the quality of life in Canada and the USA from 1964 to 1974, volume four, environment, transportation and housing. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Michalos, A. C. (1982). North American social report: A comparative study of the quality of life in Canada and the USA from 1964 to 1974, volume five, economics, religion and morality. Dordrecht: D. Reidel.
Michalos, A. C. (1988). A case for a progressive annual net wealth tax. Public Affairs Quarterly, 2, 105–140.
Michalos, A. C. (1997). Combining social economic and environmental indicators to measure sustainable human well-being. Social Indicators Research, 40, 221–258.
Michalos, A. C. (Ed.). (2005). Citation classics from social Iidicators research: The most cited articles Edited and Introduced by Alex C. Michalos. Dordrecht: Springer.
Michalos, A. C. (2006). “Logic, philosophy of science and the quality of life”. in the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (UNESCO, online encyclopedia).
Michalos, A. C., et al. (2010). An approach to the canadian index of wellbeing. Toronto: Atkinson Charitable Foundation.
Møller, V., Huschka, D., & Michalos, A. C. (Eds.). (2008). Barometers of quality of life around the globe: How are we doing?. Dordrecht: Springer Science and Business Media B.V.
Nardo, M., Saisana, M., Saltelli, A., & Tarantola, S. (2005). Tools for composite indicators building. Ispra, Italy: Joint Research Centre European Commission.
Olson, M. (1969). Community values, social measurement and transportation policy. In Highway Research Board (Ed.), Transportation and community values. Washington: National Academy of Science-National Academy of Engineering.
Science. (1977). Game theorist Morgenstern Dies, p.649.
Sen, A. (1982). Choice welfare and measurement. Oxford: Blackwell.
Sen, A. (1985). Well-being, agency and freedom: The Dewey lectures 1984. Journal of Philosophy, 82(4), 169–221.
Sen, A. (1987). Commodities and capabilities. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Sharpe, A., & Arsenault, J.-F. (2008). Living standards domain of the Canadian index of wellbeing. Toronto: Atkinson Charitable Foundation.
Sirgy, M. J., Michalos, A. C., Ferriss, A. L., Easterlin, R. A., Patrick, D., & Pavot, W. (2006). The quality-of-life (QOL) research movement: past, present and future. Social Indicators Research, 76(3), 343–466.
Smith, R. C., Simard, C., & Sharpe, A. (2001). A proposed approach to environment and sustainable development indicators based on capital. Memorandum prepared for the national round table on the environment and the economy’s environment and sustainable development indicators initiative. Ottawa: NRTEE.
Michalos, A. C.: tbp, ‘The good life: eighth century to fourth century BCE”. In K. Land (Ed.), Handbook of social indicators and quality of life research. Dordrecht: Springer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Michalos, A.C. What Did Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi Get Right and What Did They Get Wrong?. Soc Indic Res 102, 117–129 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-010-9734-0
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-010-9734-0