Saturday, April 3, 2010

Quality of life and 'post-materialist' values

Global Wellbeing Surveys Find Nations Worlds Apart
Ten percent or lower are 'thriving' in 41 of 155 countries or areas

(This is a screen shot; see the original article for the interactive map.)















Richard Florida, The Atlantic: It is not just the level of economic development that matters, but its nature and type. The past several decades have seen a shift from older industrial-style economies and societies to newer post-industrial ones characterized by higher levels of knowledge-based, professional, and creative jobs, more highly educated populations, and a shift toward what Ronald Englehart has dubbed 'post-materialist' values -- a diminished commitment to traditional authority and institutions and a shift toward self-expression, openness, and tolerance.