The Challenges Of Incorporating Empowerment Into The HDI: Some Lessons From Happiness Economics And Quality Of Life Research

This paper reviews what the authors know about measuring quality of life, based on extensive work with happiness surveys in Latin America, and how that accumulated knowledge can inform the debate the HDI originally sparked. It also discusses how the surveys can contribute to the understanding and measurement of empowerment. It discusses the promises - and potential pitfalls - of directly applying the findings to policy, challenges which are germane to measuring and comparing empowerment across countries.