Needs, Wants and Goals: Wellbeing, Quality of Life and Public Policy
Needs, Wants and Goals: Wellbeing, Quality of Life and Public Policy
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DOI：
10.1007/s11482-009-9069-7
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发表时间：
2009-06-01
影响因子：
3.4
通讯作者：
Woodcock, Alison
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
McGregor, J. Allister;Camfield, Laura;Woodcock, Alison
本文认为，生活质量的方法在国际发展政策和实践中的可能贡献。它讨论了人类需求理论在公共政策制定者和执行者如何区分“需要”和“想要”方面的作用。有一个很好的例子来扩展人类需要的理论，以包括社会和心理需要，但当我们这样做时，理论区分“需要”和“想要”的能力开始消失。相反，凭借需求否认和伤害之间的核心关系，有人认为，人类需求的理论可以提供一个框架，推理什么构成的需求。经验性的生活质量数据可以帮助决策者确定在特定的社会和文化背景下，什么构成满足需求的因素。它们还可以提供重要的信息，使公众能够对不同需求主张的相对社会重要性进行推理。本文使用的数据，通过在泰国南部和东北部，这是作为一个全面的研究的一部分，在发展中国家的福祉的社会和文化建设的生活质量的方法的应用程序，以说明其论点。该文件的结论是，如果例行纳入地方政策进程，这种生活质量的方法有可能作出贡献，以有效的民主治理促进发展。
This paper considers the possible contribution of Quality of Life methods in international development policy and practice. It discusses the role of theories of human needs in how public policy makers and implementors might distinguish between 'needs' and 'wants'. There is a good case for extending theories of human need to encompass social and psychological needs, but when we do so the ability of theory to distinguish between 'needs' and 'wants' begins to evaporate. Rather, by virtue of the core relationship between needs denial and harm, it is argued that a theory of human need can provide a framework for reasoning about what constitute needs. Empirical quality of life data can then assist policy makers to identify what constitute needs satisfiers in particular societal and cultural contexts. They also can provide important information to enable processes of public reasoning about the relative societal importance of different needs claims. The paper uses data generated through the application of two Quality of Life methods in Southern and Northeast Thailand, which were employed as part of a comprehensive study of the social and cultural construction of wellbeing in developing countries, to illustrate its arguments. The paper concludes that if routinely incorporated into local policy process, such quality of life methods have a possible contribution to make to effective democratic governance for development.