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Whatever Happened to Social Indicators in Africa? Whatever Happened Indeed! A Developing World Perspective on the Kenneth C. Land and Alex C. Michalos Report on ‘Fifty Years After the Social Indicators Movement’

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  • Valerie Møller

    (Rhodes University)

Abstract

Africa is a latecomer to the Social Indicators Movement. The first social indicators for Third World countries were developed by outsiders and covered almost exclusively topics related to basic needs and development. In response to Kenneth Land’s and Alex Michalos’ historical assessment and their agenda for future ‘social indicators/quality of life/well-being’ research, the commentary traces how South Africa and sub-Saharan countries—with a little help from many friends who are pioneers in the movement—have succeeded in developing their own home-grown social indicators movement. Addressing some of the themes outlined in the agenda that Land and Michalos set for future research, the commentary discusses the importance of monitoring social change occurring in African society in a ‘post-industrialized and much more globalized, and digitized-computerized-roboticized’ era: How will new values and norms impact on the quality of life of future generations of African people?

Suggested Citation

  • Valerie Møller, 2018. "Whatever Happened to Social Indicators in Africa? Whatever Happened Indeed! A Developing World Perspective on the Kenneth C. Land and Alex C. Michalos Report on ‘Fifty Years After the Social Indicator," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 135(3), pages 1009-1019, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:135:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s11205-017-1555-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-017-1555-y
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    1. Lawrence Schlemmer & Valerie Møller, 1997. "The Shape of South African Society and its Challenges," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 41(1), pages 15-50, July.
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    3. Valerie Møller & Lawrence Schlemmer, 1983. "Quality of life in South Africa: Towards an instrument for the assessment of quality of life and basic needs," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 225-279, April.
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    10. Valerie Møller & Benjamin Roberts & Dalindyebo Zani, 2015. "The Personal Wellbeing Index in the South African IsiXhosa Translation: A Qualitative Focus Group Study," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 124(3), pages 835-862, December.
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    13. Charles Kamen, 2002. "``Quality of Life'' Research at the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics: Social Indicators and Social Surveys," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 139-160, June.
    14. Helliwell, John & Layard, Richard & Sachs, Jeffrey, 2012. "World happiness report," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 47487, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    15. Easterlin, Richard A., 1995. "Will raising the incomes of all increase the happiness of all?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 35-47, June.
    16. Valerie Møller & Helga Dickow, 2002. "The Role of Quality of Life Surveys in Managing Change in Democratic Transitions: The South African Case," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 58(1), pages 267-292, June.
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