Social scientists address the issue of the quality of life through the experience of applied researchers; those engaged in theoretical debate and those engaged in policy analysis.

This book discusses the quality of life, a topic of concern now more than ever before. Government policy demands that programs prove their "cost-effectiveness" in order to insure that they receive new or continued funding. Social scientists have been drawn into this process, directly as assessors of the cost-effectivemness of policies, and indirectly, as the political climate increasingly shapes research priorities and budgets.
The issues addressed in this volume range from a philosophical question of what the "good life" is, to detailed studies of what constitutes a good quality of life for particular client groups.
Researchers from within traditionally separate disciplines, are now forced to confront this same issue. This collection effectively highlights the benefits of drawing together the experiences of applied researchers, policy analysts, as well as those engaged in theoretical debates on the subject.