It would have been nice to have been able to write this book with the style of Mailer, the wit of Shaw, the breadth of Myrdal and the zeal of Nader. It would also have been miraculous. Rest assured there are no miracles here. On the contrary, the work in your hands undoubtedly bears all the marks of imperfect human design. It's too long for one book, but probably too short for the story to be told. It's not the sort of book one can hope to fmish, even in five volumes. There is always one more table one might squeeze in, one more column or row, an illustrative chart or figure, another...

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the ftrst, some introductory remarks are in order about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all ftve volumes to measure the quality of life. In the ftrst chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and social reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The...

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the first, some in troductory remarks are in order about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all five volumes to measure the quality of life. In the frrst chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and so cial reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The...

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the first, some in troductory remarks are in orde{about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all five volumes to measure the quality of life. In the first chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and so cial reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The...

For readers who intend to read this volume without reading the first, some in troductory remarks are in order about the scope of the work and the strategy used in all five volumes to measure the qUality of life. In the frrst chapter of Volume I, I reviewed the relevant recent literature on social indicators and so cial reporting, and explained all the general difficulties involved in such work. It would be redundant to repeat that discussion here, but there are some fundamental points that are worth mentioning. Readers who fmd this account too brief should consult the longer discussion. The...