social quality and quality of life外文电子书籍.pdfVIP

SOCIAL QUALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE Alan Walker* and Laurent van der Maesen** *Professor of Social Policy University of Sheffield, UK **Director European Foundation for Social Quality, Amsterdam, The Netherlands Paper for ESPA-NET Conference, Copenhagen 13-15 November, 2003 2 SOCIAL QUALITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE* The main purpose of this paper is to examine the differences between the concepts of social quality and quality of life. This assessment is necessary for both theoretical and practical reasons. On the one hand it is important to explore any differences in their theoretical underpinnings while, on the other, it is essential to understand their respective strengths and weaknesses as potential adjuncts to policy making. To start with the background to the concept of social quality is explained and its theoretical underpinning is discussed. Then the current phase of work on social quality, its operationalisation, is described. Finally the main elements of social quality are contrasted with those of quality of life. BACKGROUND TO SOCIAL QUALITY The concept of social quality originated in a series of expert meetings in Amsterdam on European Social Policy. The first meeting in 1991 was convened to examine processes of transformation in both western and central-eastern Europe and their consequences for senior citizens. A follow-up meeting in 1993 discussed the causes of social inequalities among older people in the EU. Both meetings