TY - JOUR
T1 - Sen and the art of quality of life maintenance
T2 - Towards a general theory of quality of life and its causation
AU - Ruta, D.
AU - Camfield, L.
AU - Donaldson, C.
PY - 2007/6
Y1 - 2007/6
N2 - Sen's capability approach permits re-appraisal of a central concept in health and social care, and international development-'quality of life' (QoL). We compare Sen's capability view of QoL with current views in health care, and re-define QoL as 'the gap between desired and actual capabilities'. A causal pathway linking resources to capabilities, and finally to QoL, is postulated. The notion of 'cognitive homeostasis' is introduced to explain the observed curvilinear relationship between resources and QoL. A separate set of factors is identified that act to sustain or destabilise QoL. We conclude by examining the model's implications for policy and evaluation. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
AB - Sen's capability approach permits re-appraisal of a central concept in health and social care, and international development-'quality of life' (QoL). We compare Sen's capability view of QoL with current views in health care, and re-define QoL as 'the gap between desired and actual capabilities'. A causal pathway linking resources to capabilities, and finally to QoL, is postulated. The notion of 'cognitive homeostasis' is introduced to explain the observed curvilinear relationship between resources and QoL. A separate set of factors is identified that act to sustain or destabilise QoL. We conclude by examining the model's implications for policy and evaluation. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=34047257192&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.004
DO - 10.1016/j.socec.2006.12.004
M3 - Article
SN - 1053-5357
VL - 36
SP - 397
EP - 423
JO - Journal of Socio-Economics
JF - Journal of Socio-Economics
IS - 3
ER -