Abstract: This volume gathers the thoughts of reputed academics in economics, social policy, philosophy, and the social sciences as they scrutinize contentions regarding quality of life and the way in which it is, it can be, and ought to be measured. Such debates roughly boil down to the merits and shortcomings of measuring the quality of human life in terms of utility, as well as to the advantages and pitfalls of alternatives to the utilitarian approach. Philosophical inquiries concerning what constitutes thriving human life, engage with concrete policy-making and economic considerations in this work, bridging the customary schism between theory and practice. This book is catered not only to professional academics but also to policy-makers and the general public who are interested in the question of the quality of life.

Keywords: capability, economics, egalitarianism, philosophy, quality of life measurement, social policy, standard of living, utilitarianism, welfare