Social Indicators and the Measurement of Social Development in the Third World [microform] : Constraints and Potentialities / Leslie D. Wilcox and Others.
This study discusses the relevance of social indicators for usage by less developed countries, examines the contexts in both the less and more developed countries with which social indicator methodologies must be compatible, and proposes a functional theory of society and societal development which...
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Microfilm Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
[S.l.] :
Distributed by ERIC Clearinghouse,
1975.
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| Summary: | This study discusses the relevance of social indicators for usage by less developed countries, examines the contexts in both the less and more developed countries with which social indicator methodologies must be compatible, and proposes a functional theory of society and societal development which offers a meaningful approach to social indicator construction. The method used was to test the theory and feasibility of social indicator methodologies by drawing general guidelines of how to measure the political, economic, social, cultural, and technical contexts of a given society, allowing for specific country variation. An examination of the implications of "functional theories" for conceptualization and measurement of social development is presented along with a brief description of society and its interrelated parts. The finding is that, due to the particular level of social development and cultural conditions characteristic of most less developed countries, certain of the social indicator approaches originating in the more developed countries are more feasible than others. A limitation to the effectiveness of social indicators such as are discussed in this paper is that unless there is reasonable potential for the institutionalization of social indicators in the context of Third World development, the indicator's role is likely to be restricted to serving academic research rather than aiding the guidance of national development. (Author/DB) |
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| Item Description: | ERIC Document Number: ED123139. |
| Physical Description: | 36 p. |
| Reproduction Note: | Microfiche. |
| Action Note: | committed to retain |