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Social welfare functions and development : measurement and policy applications / Nanak Kakwani and Hyun Hwa Son.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: London : Palgrave Macmillan, 2016.Description: xxix, 355 pages : illustrations ; 22 cmISBN:
  • 9781137583246
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 338.9 23 K13
Contents:
1. Introduction -- 2. Applied social welfare functions -- 3. Measuring social tension -- 4. Relative deprivation and social groups -- 5. Growth and shared prosperity -- 6. Income inequality and social well-being -- 7. Measuring equity in opportunity using social opportunity function -- 8. Global poverty counts -- 9. Measuring food insecurity: global estimates -- 10. Social rate of return: a new tool for evaluating social programs.
Summary: Nanak Kakwani and Hyun Hwa Son make use of social welfare functions to derive indicators of development relevant to specific social objectives, such as poverty- and inequality-reduction. Arguing that the measurement of development cannot be value-free, the authors assert that if indicators of development are to have policy relevance, they must be assessed on the basis of the social objectives in question. This study develops indicators that are sensitive to both the level and the distribution of individuals’ capabilities. The idea of the social welfare function, defined in income space, is extended to the concept of the social well-being function, defined in capability space. Through empirical analysis from selected developing countries, with a particular focus on Brazil, the authors shape techniques appropriate to the analysis of development in different dimensions. The focus of this evidence-based policy analysis is to evaluate alternative policies affecting the capacities of people to enjoy a better life.
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Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Date due Barcode Item holds
Books ISI Library, Kolkata 338.9 K13 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 137921
Total holds: 0

Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Introduction --
2. Applied social welfare functions --
3. Measuring social tension --
4. Relative deprivation and social groups --
5. Growth and shared prosperity --
6. Income inequality and social well-being --
7. Measuring equity in opportunity using social opportunity function --
8. Global poverty counts --
9. Measuring food insecurity: global estimates --
10. Social rate of return: a new tool for evaluating social programs.

Nanak Kakwani and Hyun Hwa Son make use of social welfare functions to derive indicators of development relevant to specific social objectives, such as poverty- and inequality-reduction. Arguing that the measurement of development cannot be value-free, the authors assert that if indicators of development are to have policy relevance, they must be assessed on the basis of the social objectives in question. This study develops indicators that are sensitive to both the level and the distribution of individuals’ capabilities. The idea of the social welfare function, defined in income space, is extended to the concept of the social well-being function, defined in capability space. Through empirical analysis from selected developing countries, with a particular focus on Brazil, the authors shape techniques appropriate to the analysis of development in different dimensions. The focus of this evidence-based policy analysis is to evaluate alternative policies affecting the capacities of people to enjoy a better life.

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