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Concepts and Perceptions of Human Well-being: Some Evidence from South Africa

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  • David Clark

Abstract

This paper presents the results of two surveys, which explored how ordinary people in a rural village and urban township view human development. These findings are used to evaluate some abstract concepts of human well-being and development, and constitute the foundation for constructing a more realistic development ethic to guide public policy. Perhaps the most significant finding is that most people appear to share a common vision of development, which is not fundamentally at odds with most of the capabilities advocated by scholars like Nussbaum and Sen. Most development ethics, however, need to say more about: (1) the practical side of survival and development in poor countries; (2) the psychology of human well-being, i.e. mental functioning; and (3) some of the "better things" in life such as recreation.

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  • David Clark, 2003. "Concepts and Perceptions of Human Well-being: Some Evidence from South Africa," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(2), pages 173-196.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:31:y:2003:i:2:p:173-196
    DOI: 10.1080/13600810307428
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    Cited by:

    1. Mario Biggeri & Jean-Francois Trani & Vincenzo Mauro, 2011. "Child Poverty Measurement: the Case of Afghanistan," Working Papers - Economics wp2011_18.rdf, Universita' degli Studi di Firenze, Dipartimento di Scienze per l'Economia e l'Impresa.
    2. Des Gasper, 2004. "Human Well-being: Concepts and Conceptualizations," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2004-06, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. David A. Clark & University of Manchester, 2005. "The Capability Approach: Its Development, Critiques and Recent Advances," Economics Series Working Papers GPRG-WPS-032, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    4. David A. Clark & University of Manchester & Mozaffar Qizilbash & University of East Anglia, 2005. "Core Poverty, Basic Capabilities and Vagueness: An Application to the South African Context," Economics Series Working Papers GPRG-WPS-026, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    5. Kate Sollis & Ben Edwards, 2022. "Measuring What Matters: Drawing on a Participatory Wellbeing Framework and Existing Data to Assess Child Wellbeing Outcomes Over Time," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 164(2), pages 543-599, November.
    6. David A. Clark, 2007. "Adaptation, Poverty and Well-Being: Some Issues and Observations with Special Reference to the Capability Approach and Development Studies," Economics Series Working Papers GPRG-WPS-081, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    7. Sung-Geun Kim, 2016. "What Have We Called as “Poverty”? A Multidimensional and Longitudinal Perspective," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 129(1), pages 229-276, October.
    8. Tara Natarajan, 2014. "Shifting economics: fundamental questions and Amartya K. Sen’s pragmatic humanism," The Journal of Philosophical Economics, Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies, The Journal of Philosophical Economics, vol. 8(1), November.
    9. David Alexander Clark, 2011. "Adaptation and development: issues, evidence and policy relevance," Global Development Institute Working Paper Series 15911, GDI, The University of Manchester.
    10. Gasper, D.R., 2004. "Human well-being : concepts and conceptualizations," ISS Working Papers - General Series 19148, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    11. Abbas, Shahbaz & Rao, Abdur Rehman Bin Nasir & Khattak, Farrukh & Ahmad, Yasir, 2024. "Revolutionising sustainability using a new triplet: A system dynamic model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 492(C).
    12. Megan King & Vivian Renó & Evlyn Novo, 2014. "The Concept, Dimensions and Methods of Assessment of Human Well-Being within a Socioecological Context: A Literature Review," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 116(3), pages 681-698, May.
    13. Maria Ana Lugo & Esfandiar Maasoumi, 2008. "Multidimensional Poverty Measures from an Information Theory Perspective," Working Papers 85, ECINEQ, Society for the Study of Economic Inequality.
    14. Gasper, D.R., 2006. "Uncounted or illusory blessings? Competing responses to the Easterlin, Easterbrook and Schwartz paradoxes of well-being," ISS Working Papers - General Series 19189, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    15. Angelina Wilson & Marié P. Wissing & Lusilda Schutte & Iolanthé Marike Kruger, 2019. "Understanding Goal Motivations in Deprived Contexts: Perspectives of Adults in Two Rural South African Communities," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 14(1), pages 113-129, March.
    16. David Clark, 2005. "Sen's capability approach and the many spaces of human well-being," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(8), pages 1339-1368.
    17. Anh M. Ly & Michael R. Cope, 2023. "New Conceptual Model of Social Sustainability: Review from Past Concepts and Ideas," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(7), pages 1-20, March.
    18. Punová, Monika & Navrátil, Pavel & Navrátilová, Jitka, 2020. "Capabilities and well-being of child and adolescent social services clients in the Czech Republic," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    19. Gough, Ian, 2003. "Lists and thresholds: comparing our theory of human need with Nussbaum's capabilities approach," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 36659, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    20. Sarah White & Stanley Gaines & Shreya Jha, 2014. "Inner Wellbeing: Concept and Validation of a New Approach to Subjective Perceptions of Wellbeing—India," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 119(2), pages 723-746, November.

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