social quality and quality of life.pdf

《social quality and quality of life.pdf》由会员上传分享，免费在线阅读，更多相关内容在学术论文-天天文库。

1、SOCIALQUALITYANDQUALITYOFLIFEAlanWalker*andLaurentvanderMaesen***ProfessorofSocialPolicyUniversityofSheffield,UK**DirectorEuropeanFoundationforSocialQuality,Amsterdam,TheNetherlandsPaperforESPA-NETConference,Copenhagen13-15November,20032SOCIALQUALITYANDQUALITYOFLIFE*Themai

2、npurposeofthispaperistoexaminethedifferencesbetweentheconceptsofsocialqualityandqualityoflife.Thisassessmentisnecessaryforboththeoreticalandpracticalreasons.Ontheonehanditisimportanttoexploreanydifferencesintheirtheoreticalunderpinningswhile,ontheother,itisessentialtounder

3、standtheirrespectivestrengthsandweaknessesaspotentialadjunctstopolicymaking.Tostartwiththebackgroundtotheconceptofsocialqualityisexplainedanditstheoreticalunderpinningisdiscussed.Thenthecurrentphaseofworkonsocialquality,itsoperationalisation,isdescribed.Finallythemaineleme

4、ntsofsocialqualityarecontrastedwiththoseofqualityoflife.BACKGROUNDTOSOCIALQUALITYTheconceptofsocialqualityoriginatedinaseriesofexpertmeetingsinAmsterdamonEuropeanSocialPolicy.Thefirstmeetingin1991wasconvenedtoexamineprocessesoftransformationinbothwesternandcentral-easternE

5、uropeandtheirconsequencesforseniorcitizens.Afollow-upmeetingin1993discussedthecausesofsocialinequalitiesamongolderpeopleintheEU.BothmeetingswerespecificallyintendedtobuildontheworkoftwooftheCommission'sObservatories-onSocialExclusionandAgeing-andbothreachedsimilarconclusio

6、ns.Mostimportantlyitwastheunequalrelationshipbetweeneconomic*WearegratefultoAndreaWigfieldforherhelpwiththispaper.1policyandsocialpolicy,andtheincreasingtendencyfortheformertodefinethecontentandscopeofthelatter,thatwasidentifiedasthemainsourceoftherecentcrisesinEuropeansoc

7、ialpolicy.Inshortthesocialdimensionappearedtobeviewedincreasinglyasbeinginconflictwiththeeconomicormonetaryoneand,asaconsequence,riskedseriousdowngrading.Itseemedtousthatthisprocesswastakingonanairofinevitabilityandthat,therefore,theEuropeanmodelofdevelopmentitselfwasinjeo

8、pardy.Thatwastheproblemthatstimulatedthethinkingwhichledtotheconceptofsocialquality.Theco