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QUALITY OF LIFE STANDARDS

Quality of life standards are the measures of the status of the physical and cultural environments of the people within the jurisdiction of a government. The following positive and negative measurable parameters are used to derive quality-of-life ratings:

Positive Indices

  1. Quality and availability of consumer goods and services
  2. Quality and availability of public use facilities such as parks, museums, hospitals, transportation networks, universities, etc.

Negative Indices

  1. Incidence of war
  2. Incidence of crime
  3. Incidence of pollution
  4. Incidence of preventable disease, disability and death

The steps that a government takes to maintain high quality-of-life standards (high positive indices and low negative indices) must be supported by taxes and fees, which degrade living standards. The determination of the proper balance between high quality-of-life standards and high living standards is primarily a task for a democratic government’s legislature.