A welfare model for selecting indicators of national development

The purpose of the paper is to present a frame of reference for selecting social indicators on the basis of values inherent in the concept of social welfare. It is assumed that these values can be captured by the terms Having, Loving and Being. A scheme for selecting indicators of comparative relevance is presented by cross-tabulating the basic value categories with a second set of categories here called elements of society. The point of departure is a conception of national societies as systems in which there are inputs, outputs, and a structure through which inputs and feedbacks flow. The inputs and outputs on the different value-dimensions can be assessed through measures of central tendencies whereas structure can be described through dispersion parameters and correlations.Paper presented at the ISSC Workshop on Models and Indicators of National Development in Rio de Janeiro, May 9–14, 1972.