Wolfgang Glatzer

Cross-National Comparisons of Quality of Life in Developed Nations, Including the Impact of Globalization

This contribution is related to the quality of life in developed nations. Developed nations are not a strictly defined category, and in this article we regard as developed the nations of Europe, of North America, Australia, and Japan, where the last one is the only country which is not a European offshoot. Development in its original sense was mainly defined as economic growth in the course of industrialization. The comprehensive developmental process of the present world is usually defined as globalization. It is mainly understood as a worldwide process of increasing interdependency of people, goods, capital, and information. Among the societal goals in this development phase, quality of life attained a significant position. Beginning in the 1960s in the developed worlds, quality of life got more and more recognition as a societal goal. Quality of life is understood as objective conditions, investigated through social and technical experts, as well as subjective perceptions through the people. In consequence of defining new societal goals, the idea to measure these goals arose and measurement procedures were established worldwide. The comparative aims of this article are as follows: First, the main features of the scientific discussion on the concepts of quality of life and social well-being are explored. In scientific discussions, quality of life is partly emphasized more in objective terms and partly more emphasis is given to the subjective dimension of quality of life. Second, the objective dimension of quality of life is outlined with comprehensive indicators from the Human Development Index (HDI), the Human Well-Being Index (HWI), and the Weighted Index for Social Progress (WISP). It is shown how far they lead to similar results and to differences. Third, the subjective dimension of quality of life is described with regard to the perceived quality of life in terms of overall satisfaction with life (OSL), of positive and negative affect (ABS), and of personal and national well-being (PWI/NWI). Above that, there are approaches which combine objective and subjective aspects of life in a comprehensive index (e.g., the Happy Life Expectancy). In total, it is no surprise that the choice of criteria and values influences to a high degree the results of the state of nations. The question from the perspective of globalization is whether there are tendencies toward more similarity or to more divergence between the nations and continents.

Happiness: Classic Theory in the Light of Current Research

Happiness is an eternal concern of philosophy and social science. Several classic intuitions about happiness get some support by the results of modern empirical research, not least, expectations about positive effects of technological development and individualization. The data do not confirm dismal predictions about anomic unhappiness. Though social development and transformation is ambivalent, the overall balance seems to be positive in modern societies.

Subjective Attendants of Unification and Transformation in Germany

The article is concentrated on negative aspects of quality of life, mainly anomie. Anomic attitudes have been thematized since the beginning of sociological analysis as phenomena accompanying rapid social change and economic crises. It is shown to what extent the processes of unification and transformation in Germany after 1990 are accompanied by a fragile perceived quality of life. That such a problematic has become virulent at the beginning of the nineteen-nineties indicates the fact that the unification of Germany and the transformation process of the former socialist states are undoubtedly part of the great rapid societal changes of the past decades.

Sozialstruktur und Sozialer Wandel

Sozialstruktur und Sozialer Wandel gehoren zu den etablierten Schlusselbegriffen der Soziologie, wenn sich diese mit der Analyse von Gesellschaften befast (Schafers 1998a: 330). Seit langem ist bekannt, das die Beobachtung komplexer Gesellschaften zu einer beliebigen Anzahl von Fakten fuhrt, wenn sie nicht von einer theoretisch angeleiteten Idee gesteuert wird. Das Konzept der Sozialstruktur gehort zu den Komplexitat reduzierenden Ideen, indem es auf die relativ dauerhaften Elemente von Gesellschaften verweist. Die nachhaltigen Regelmasigkeiten und Wirkungszusammenhange der Gesellschaft stehen im Blickpunkt der sozialstrukturellen Analyse. Dementsprechend wird unter sozialem Wandel bzw. sozialstrukturellem Wandel nicht alles verstanden, was alltaglichen Anderungen unterworfen ist, sondern die Aufmerksamkeit wird auf den wesentlichen Strukturwandel gelenkt (Zapf 1979/Weymann 1998). Die Identifikation von Wandel setzt immer eine stabil gedachte Struktur voraus, vor deren Hintergrund die Veranderung erfolgt, und bedarf der Vorstellung von Triebkraften, die diesen Wandel bedingen. Wie bei anderen Konzepten ist auch bei diesem ein Problem, das es viele Fragen daruber offenlast, was denn nun genau unter Sozialstruktur und sozialem Wandel zu verstehen sei. Die theoretischen Ansatze, die von diesen Begriffen ausgehen, sind auserordentlich vielfaltig (Schafers 1998b, Geisler 1998, Glatzer 1989), und die soziologische Diskussion wird zum Teil als Kampf um die Interpretationsvorherrschaft gefuhrt.

Convergence or divergence? : comparing recent social trends in industrial societies

Trends in fertility decline, intergenerational relations, religion and secularization, ecological movements, employment and labour-market changes, personal authority, and social conflict are examined. This analysis shows an unmistakable convergence of social trends except in the domain of religion. But when the interconnection of these trends within each national society is examined, unexpected divergences are revealed. There are parallel trends in demography, organization of production, national institutions, social practices, and life style, and divergent trends in social inequality, social movements, and local institutions. Barriers between social classes have eroded and something that might be called multidimensional stratification has emerged, the diminution of violence in social conflicts implies an increasing volume of negotiation, and all forms of personal authority have been weakened. The transformation of the family structure is no doubt one of the most important changes in western civilization. The cross-national analyses of recent social trends help us to assess both convergence and divergence and to identify emergent singularities. Does convergence of trends mean these societies face a common destiny? With respect to trends so strong that they act as exogenous variables, the answer is yes. However, with respect to the responses those trends elicit in the context of a particular society, the answer is no. Massive convergence of trends does not mean that societies face a uniform future.

Whatever Happened to Social Indicators? A Symposium

Twenty years ago the publication of Toward a Social Report by the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare was hailed as a major forward step in developing indicators of conditions in society into a national system of social accounting of relevance to public policy. The resulting social indicators movement quickly mobilized able social scientists to produce a variety of indicators monitoring trends in their society, and internationally. National governments too began to sponsor new types of social reports. The years since have seen an apparent decline in the momentum of the social indicators movement. Hence, to evaluate developments, the Journal of Public Policy invited a number of distinguished pioneers in the movement in Europe and America to give their individual assessment of what has happened to social indicators.

The changing consumer in Germany

Abstract Changes in economic, demographic, and cultural factors in West Germany during the past decades are briefly described, as well as changes in consumption patterns and the way the major marketing variables have been used and implemented. Special attention is paid to the upheavals caused by the German reunification. Implications for marketing management are drawn by proposing eight bipolar constructs.

Haushalte und Haushaltsproduktion

Der private Haushalt stellt einen auf die Wohnung konzentrierten Lebens- und Versorgungszusammenhang eines oder mehrerer Individuen dar. Auf der Grundlage des gemeinsamen Wohnens und Wirtschaftens mehrerer Individuen ist der Haushalt von spezifischen Rollenverteilungen, interpersonalen Beziehungen, aufeinander bezogenen Aktivitatsmustern, mehr oder weniger geteilten Normen, Wertvorstellungen und Erwartungen der Haushaltsangehorigen gekennzeichnet.

Trends subjektiven Wohlbefindens

Gluck, Zufriedenheit, Probleme, Angste und Hoffnungen sind in erster Linie personliche Erfahrungen gehoren aber zu den zentralen Aspekten der Lebensverhaltnisse bzw. der Lebensqualitat einer Gesellschaft. Die Veranderungen „objektiver Lebensbedingungen“ in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland sind Gegenstand zahlreicher Beschreibungen und Analysen, die teils aus der universitaren Wissensproduktion, teils aus der amtlichen Statistik und teils aus der privaten Umfrageforschung stammen. Auch der „Wertewandel“, der oft in Zusammenhang mit der Entwicklung der Lebensbedingungen gebracht wird, wurde systematisch untersucht. Demgegenuber fehlt fur Zufriedenheiten, Probleme, Angste und Hoffnungen, kurz far das „subjektive Wohlbefmden“ eine zusammenfassende Darstellung der Entwicklungstrends in der Bundesrepublik, obwohl empirisches Material an vielen Stellen vorliegt. In diesem Beitrag werden beispielhaft Materialen zu „Trends“ subjektiven Wohlbefindens in der Bundesrepublik aus drei Bereichen dargestellt. Zuerst wird auf die positiven Dimensionen subjektiven Wohlbefindens — Zufriedenheit und Gluck — eingegangen. Dann wird die Wahrnehmung sozialer Probleme thematisiert und schlieslich werden die Zukunftsperspektiven behandelt. Die Zeitreihen, die aus unterschiedlichen Quellen stammen, gehen teilweise bis in die funfziger Jahre zuruck. Neuere Entwicklungen, die auf der Vereinigung der Bundesrepublik mit der DDR beruhen, wurden soweit wie moglich einbezogen. Zuerst werden zentrale Argumentationsfiguren uber die Bestimmungsgrunde subjektiven Wohlbefindens hinsichtlich ihrer Erklarungskraft dargestellt, besonders in Bezug auf die hierin immer wieder angesprochene Entkoppelung zwischen „objektiven Umstanden“ und „subjektiven Einstellungen“.

Worries and Pain – The Dark Side of Quality of Life

The development of mankind can be regarded as an ongoing struggle for a better quality of life and greater wellbeing. However – as far as we can see – there is always the drawback of different forms of negative wellbeing such as various worries and pain. A global view of the world’s people shows they partly enjoy life and partly suffer; many do both at the same time. It seems each age is characterized by a specific pattern of gratifying and satisfying traits, but also by a typical burden of worries and pain. It is inevitable in a globalized world that people share worldwide worries more than they did before. The bright side of life is always complemented by a dark side and worries and pain are excluded only in the idea of paradise. Common experience is that everyday disturbances as well as natural catastrophes and political disorganization are ongoing causes of worries and pain. Avoiding negative wellbeing and increasing positive wellbeing, together with expectations of a good future, are important contributors to the comprehensive wellbeing of people.