Gross Domestic Product has historically been the dominant, often sole, yardstick regarding a nation's economic development, growth, and well-being. This paper acknowledges GDP's shortcomings and aims development more rounded metrics to better measure well-being. The aim of this thesis is to advance the work done by 2009 Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress by reassessing the twelve recommendations made by Stiglitz, Sen, and Fitoussi and attempting to apply them to a new dashboard of metrics. JEL Classification I31 E01 E21 Keywords well-being, economic performance, GDP, Stiglitz Commission, quality-of-life, social progress Abstrakt Hrubý domácí produkt je historicky dominantní metrika v souvislosti s národním hospodářským rozvojem, růstem a blahobytem. Tato práce potvrzuje nedostatky HDP a jejím cílem je vývoj více vyvážené metriky k lepšímu měření blahobytu. Zaměřuje se na prohloubení práce Stiglitze, Sena a Fitoussiho z roku 2009 (Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress), přehodnocuje jejich dvanáct doporučení a pokouší se je aplikovat na kolekci možných měření společenského rozvoje.

Le renforcement des préoccupations vis-à-vis des problématiques de développement, de bien-être des populations et de qualité des écosystèmes, génère de nouvelles pressions économiques (labels, cahiers des charges, etc.), normatives (règlements, fiscalité), et de la société civile (consom'action, boycott), et impose aux entreprises de prendre en compte ces problématiques, c'est-à-dire d'identifier, d'évaluer, et d'améliorer leurs impacts. De nombreux outils existent pour évaluer les impacts des chaînes de produits mais seules les méthodes d'Analyse de Cycle de Vie permettent d'avoir une évaluation multicritère et globale, et de rendre compte des transferts d'impacts d'une étape à l'autre du cycle de vie et d'un impact à l'autre. Le développement de l'ACV sociale est vivement souhaité et réclamé par les acteurs. La problématique de cette thèse a consisté à s'interroger sur les principes d'élaboration d'une telle méthode, son cadre conceptuel, théorique et méthodologique. Les besoins de recherche identifiés étant nombreux, les contributions spécifiques de cette thèse ont été triples : i) proposer un nouveau cadre théorique et conceptuel adressant les problématiques de bien-être et de développement, ii) élaborer une relation permettant d'évaluer les impacts de la création d'activité économique et de revenus sur la santé des populations, le « pathway Preston » iii) proposer un cadre méthodologique articulant le Modèle à Capitaux Multiples et le concept de capabilités. Les filières agroalimentaires et plus particulièrement les filières d'importation de fruits et légumes tropicaux, ont servi de cadre empirique à ce travail. / Strengthening concerns regarding development issues, well-being and quality of ecosystems, generates new economic pressures (labeling, specifications, etc.), standards (regulations, taxation) and also pressures from civil society (“consom'action”, boycott); it requires companies to take into account these issues, that is to say, to identify, assess and improve their impacts. Many tools exist to assess the impacts of product chains but only the method of Life Cyle Assessment allows a comprehensive and multicriteria evaluation, covering transfers of impacts from one stage of the life cycle to the other and from one impact to the next. The development of Social LCA is highly desired and demanded by the actors. The core question of this thesis has been to examine the principles for developing such a method, its conceptual, theoretical and methodological framework. As the identified needs in terms of research are numerous, specific contributions of this work were threefold: i) proposing a new theoretical framework addressing the issues of well-being and development. ii) developing a relationship assessing the impacts of creating economic activity and income on the health of populations, the “Preston Pathway” iii) proposing a methodological framework articulating the Multiple Capitals Model and the Capabilities concept. Food chains, and most specifically, import fruit and vegetables chains, have served as the empirical framework for this thesis.

Ph.D. (Economics) / In this thesis the primary research objective is to construct quality of life measures to measure and compare the quality of life across the Gauteng City-Region in South Africa, while considering the diversity of the population residing in the region. In addressing the primary research question we also investigate secondary research objectives, namely to validate a new instrument of quality of life, to determine the interrelationships between the dimensions of quality of life, to construct a composite index with fixed weighting to measure and compare the quality of life across different demographic and socio-economic groups, to measure and compare the quality of life within diverse municipalities, each with its own unique character, and to analyse the factors that influence the wellbeing of a unique group of people in Gauteng, namely refugees and asylum seekers. A validated measuring instrument of quality of life contributes to the construction of robust composite indices, which can give a good estimate of quality of life in a region. Furthermore, identifying the interrelationships between the dimensions of quality of life can assist in the formulation of integrated policies aimed at improving quality of life. The measurement and comparison of quality of life of different socio-economic groups and different municipal regions can contribute to identifying the groups and municipal areas with low levels of quality of life, as well as the dimensions of quality of life that are below average and should be attended to in order to increase quality of life in the region. Lastly, determining the factors that influence the wellbeing of urban refugees and asylum seekers can contribute to better understanding of this unique group of people. To address the primary and the secondary research aims various novel methodologies are utilised. The methodologies used include Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate an instrument of quality of life and determine the interrelationships between the quality of life dimensions; Nicoletti et al.’s method based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to build a fixed weighted composite index of quality of life; Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Value Efficiency Analysis (VEA) as weighting methodologies to construct composite indices with flexible weighting that considers the unique characteristics of the municipalities in the region; and cross-sectional regressions to analyse the determinants of the subjective wellbeing of refugees and asylum seekers. In the analysis of the primary and the secondary research questions two data sets were used. In Chapter 2 to 4 a data set collected by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) on quality of life in the Gauteng City-Region (GCR) was used. In Chapter 5 we used a data set collected by the Forced Migration Studies Program (FMSP) on Migration in New African Cities. A key finding of Chapter 2 is that the indicator variables of the dimensions ‘housing and infrastructure, ‘social relationships’, ‘socio-economic status’, ‘health’, ‘governance’ and ‘safety’ were found to be good measures of the dimensions of quality of life. Positive relationships were found between all the dimensions of quality of life, with the exception of the relationship between ‘housing and infrastructure’ and ‘health’, which was found to be statistically insignificant. Using the newly constructed composite index, in Chapter 3 we found the quality of life among African, lower-income groups, females and older people to be lower than that of other socio-economic and demographic groups. In addition, we found that ‘housing and infrastructure’ contributes most to the variance in the data set of the group with lower levels of quality of life. Using the flexible weighted composite indices to measure the quality of life within the different municipal regions of the GCR in Chapter 4, we found that the municipalities with the highest levels of quality of life to be Johannesburg and Midvaal, with, overall, above-average scores on all the dimensions of quality of life. The municipalities with the lowest quality of life in the GCR are Nokeng, Westonaria, Madibeng, Matlosana and Merafong. In the municipalities with the lowest quality of life scores, for those municipalities in the Gauteng Province, the ‘housing and infrastructure’ dimension was below average, while for the municipalities outside the Gauteng Province’s borders, it was found that the ‘health’ dimension was below average. In all the municipalities with low levels of quality of life it was found that the income variable is relatively low, except in Nokeng, which has relatively high income levels. Chapter 5 analyses the determinants of the subjective wellbeing of refugees and asylum seekers. It was found that additional factors to the standard determinants that explain the wellbeing of people in general should be added to the model to explain the wellbeing of urban refugees and asylum seekers.

Psykisk ohälsa ökar och enligt socialstyrelsen lider cirka 20 % av arbetsför ålder av psykisk ohälsa. En enkätundersökning genomfördes för att undersöka, hur stor betydelse kön, ålder, coping och känsla av sammanhang har på psykisk ohälsa? Totalt insamlades 108 enkäter var av 101 användes för analys. Data analyserades med hjälp av en hierarkisk multipel regressionsanalys och Pearson korrelationer. 39 % av variationen i psykisk ohälsa förklarades av KASAM, copingstil, ålder och kön. Starkast relaterad till ohälsa i regressionsanalysen var KASAM. Högre KASAM hos en individ innebär bättre psykisk hälsa. Diskussion förs kring bland annat fördelar och nackdelar med valda instrument, sned könsfördelning, samhällsnytta och enkätkonstruktion. Att se vilka faktorer som starkt påverkar psykisk ohälsa är av betydelse för vidare forskning för att sätta fingret på vad som påverkar psykisk ohälsa och till vilken grad.

The thesis deals with gender differences in sources of well-being, focusing on two currently the most significant concepts, subjective well-being (SWB) and psychological well- being (PWB). Attention is paid to the personality correlates of both concepts - personality traits, identity-styles, self-esteem, personal values and coping strategies. In the empirical part we explored the relationships of the studied phenomena on university student sample. The correlations of SWB and personality sources have been found to be weaker than those of the PWB concept, yet both concepts show similar trends in measurements. As expected, women have achieved a higher level of well-being in both concepts. However, the results of examining gender differences have shown, in several cases, a more significant relationship between personal sources of PWB among men. In this case, significantly stronger positive correlation between PWB and extraversion, self-esteem, active coping has been confirmed, likewise significantly stronger negative correlation between PWB and conformity and higher order value, conservation. The results are discussed considering their limits and implications for further research.

The negative health consequences of dieting for individuals are well established. Yet little is known about the interpersonal consequences of dieting for romantic couples. This study utilized self-report questionnaire data from undergraduate students (N = 221) and their romantic partners (N = 74) to examine whether dieting is associated with romantic relationship processes. I hypothesized that dieting engagement would indirectly predict worse relationship outcomes. Body dissatisfaction is a core dimension of self-esteem, and people with low self-esteem often project their self-doubts onto their partner. Because dieting is strongly associated with body dissatisfaction, I hypothesized that people who engaged in more extreme dieting may project their negative self-evaluations of their bodies onto their partners, resulting in negative evaluations of their romantic partner’s attractiveness. Moreover, I expected that negative partner evaluations would predict worse relationship outcomes for both partners. As hypothesized, participants who engaged in more dieting (e.g., restricting food intake, feeling guilty after eating, compensatory behaviors) experienced higher body dissatisfaction, which predicted more negative evaluations of their romantic partner’s physical attractiveness. In turn, finding their partner less attractive predicted more negative evaluations of their partner’s worth, increased conflict, and lower commitment to their relationship. Moreover, romantic partners who were rated as less attractive perceived participants’ negative evaluations of their attractiveness, and experienced lower self-esteem. However, participant dieting did not predict relationship outcomes for their romantic partners. Overall, results indicate that dieting is negatively associated with both individual and interpersonal well-being. Findings must be replicated in longitudinal research, but highlight the potential for the negative consequences of dieting to extend beyond the individual to influence close relationship processes. This research also contradicts dominant models of dieting and close relationships that frame dieting in a positive light. / Graduate / 2020-08-15

There has been numerous research that has hypothesised that ‘green’ buildings contribute to more positive outcomes than that of their conventional counterpart, such as increased well-being (psychological and physical) and productivity. However, recent studies have shown that results have been inconclusive, showing a discrepancy within this realm. In the present study, the researcher investigated the relationship between ‘green’ buildings and organisational outcomes (well-being, productivity, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and presenteeism), as well as, factors that may impact on this relationship. This was achieved by examining a sample of participants within the Nedbank Menlyn Maine building, whereby, a 5-star ‘As-Built’ Green Rating has been achieved. A non-experimental, longitudinal, correlational mixed methods design was employed. Quantitative data was collected using a demographic questionnaire, Warwick-Edinburgh Mental well-being scale, Sick Building Syndrome Questionnaire, perceptions of physical work conditions questionnaire, and single item scales measuring productivity, job satisfaction, absenteeism, and presenteeism. Data was compared over three time frames (approximately 6 months apart) in order to see if there was a change. Qualitative data was collected by means of nine in-depth interviews. Most the results demonstrated that the ‘green’ building did not produce significantly better physical or psychological wellbeing, increased job satisfaction or higher perceived productivity. Qualitative data revealed that green buildings could not be examined in isolation, and that aspects, such as legitimacy of the green concept, education, resistance, unconscious impacts, office design, culture, and health effects needed to be examined in order to understand the quantitative results. The implications of the results and the limitations of the study are discussed, and suggestions for further research are made.

Thesis advisor: Thomas O'Hare / Two primary community-based programs currently in use for people who suffer from severe, persistent mental illnesses are staffed group-homes, or intensive outreach residential programs, where the consumer lives independently and services are provided in vivo. This study utilized a cross-sectional relational design and employed a consumer survey to examine how the well-being of people with severe and persistent mental illness and who receive one of these residential services. Well-being refers to the general quality of a person’s life and living situation, including their own perceptions of the quality of their life. For the purposes of this study, well-being was operationalized as the product of three domains: 1). demographic/diagnostic characteristics, including age, gender, race, length of service, educational level, marital status, diagnosis, and intensity of residential support; 2). objective life satisfaction indicators, such as immediate social network, extended social network, independent living/self care, working/productivity, global functioning, freedom from crisis/hospitalization; and 3). subjective life satisfaction indicators, including satisfaction with living arrangements, money, leisure time, family, social life, and health. An analysis of demographic and diagnostic variables indicated that with the exception of education level, respondents living in group homes are very similar to their counterparts receiving supported housing. Independent functioning ability was significantly higher for respondents receiving supported housing services in eight areas, including cooking, shopping, housekeeping, personal finances, use of medications, active use of services, pursuit of recovery goals, and ability to find and use health care. Group home residents were significantly more likely to have substance abuse problems than respondents receiving supported housing, and were more likely to have problems that could put them or others at risk. Respondents living independently with supported housing services reported higher satisfaction with their living situation and with their relationship to their family. Group home residents were more satisfied about the availability of money for leisure activities. Exploratory analysis of the data using logistic regression suggested that such an analysis might be useful in identifying which qualities of applicants for residential services would provide a better “fit” to a particular model of treatment. Implications for policy, practice, and future research are addressed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Social Work. / Discipline: Social Work.

Thesis advisor: John B. Williamson / This study assesses the influence of old-age pension policy on older adults' life satisfaction, and examines factors that shape this relationship. It theorizes that two distinct dimensions capture variation in the type of pension policy: individualization of risk (as opposed to socialization, or pooling, of risk) and redistribution of resources (that is, poverty prevention through income redistribution mechanisms such as non-contributory pensions). To empirically evaluate the presence of these two dimensions and to assess their influence of life satisfaction among older adults, this study analyzes data for 126,560 adults age 45 and over living in 91 countries over the period 1981-2008. Using principal component factor analysis, it finds support for the two-dimensional model of pension policy. Next, using three-level hierarchical linear regression, this study assesses the effects of pension policy individualization and redistribution on life satisfaction, generating three additional major findings. First, redistribution increases life satisfaction, but individualization--on average--has no significant effect on life satisfaction. Thus, the potential impact of individualization (whether positive or negative), and of the associated increased risk, choice, and opportunities for return, has been clearly overstated in theoretical debates on pension policy privatization. Second, the relationship between pension policy and life satisfaction is contingent on the macro-social context. Specifically, individualization that takes place in more affluent societies has beneficial impact on life satisfaction, while individualization unfolding in contexts of material scarcity has detrimental impact on life satisfaction. Further, the overall beneficial effects of redistribution on life satisfaction are substantially higher in the context of traditional cultures and lower in the context of secular-rational cultures. A third finding is that governmental commitment to social security (i.e., government expenditures on social security as a percentage of total government expenditures) also shapes the relationship between the type of pension policy and life satisfaction: Higher government commitment to social security substantially improves the life satisfaction outcomes of individualization. Findings from this study are used to integrate and advance theory on comparative public policy and the larger macro-social context shaping subjective well-being. Policy implications for pension reform are discussed, highlighting redistribution of resources and alleviation of need as more efficient avenues to increase older adults' life satisfaction than privatization or pooling of risk. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2009. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Sociology.

Thesis advisor: Penny Hauser-Cram / This dissertation involves secondary analysis of data from the Early Intervention Collaborative Study (EICS; Hauser-Cram, Warfield, Shonkoff, & Krauss, 2001), a longitudinal investigation of children with developmental disabilities (DD) and their families. The sample includes 93 children with DD and their mothers who participated in the age 10 and age 18 data collection time points of EICS. The following research questions were addressed: What types of friendships and other relationships do adolescents with DD have in their social networks and what individual characteristics predict the presence of reciprocal relationships within these networks? What individual and family-related characteristics predict their loneliness at age 10 and their friendship quality at age 18? Does loneliness at age 10 predict friendship quality at age 18? Do child/adolescent views of the family predict loneliness at age 10 and friendship quality at age 18? Do loneliness at age 10 and friendship quality at age 18 predict adolescent social-emotional well-being? Do child/adolescent views of the family moderate the relationship between loneliness at age 10 and adolescent well-being, or the relationship between friendship quality at age 18 and adolescent well-being? Results revealed the limited nature of adolescents' friendships and peer relationships, particularly in regard to a lack of reciprocal relationships with same-age, non-familial peers. Behavior problems emerged as a significant predictor of loneliness at age 10, while autonomy emerged as a significant predictor of perceived friendship quality in adolescence. Loneliness at age 10 was not found to relate to friendship quality at age 18. Age 10 loneliness and age 18 friendship quality were found to significantly predict adolescent well-being. Adolescent views of the family were found to significantly predict adolescent perceived friendship quality; additionally, adolescent views of the family were found to relate to adolescent well-being outcomes. Overall, the findings support the notion that both family and peer relationships have an impact on social-emotional well-being for children and adolescents with DD. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2013. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology.