Question

Who put forward the concept of the Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI)?

• A. Amartya Sen
• B. Morris D Morris
• C. Mahbub ul Haq
• D. Adam Smith

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Morris D Morris

Understanding the Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI)

• The Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) was conceptualized and developed by Morris D. Morris in 1979.

• Morris D. Morris was an American political scientist and economist associated with the Overseas Development Council (ODC).

• The PQLI was introduced as an alternative to the traditional economic indicators like Gross National Product (GNP) or Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to measure the development and well-being of a country's population.

• It focuses on the 'human' aspects of development, emphasizing social welfare rather than purely economic output.

Components of PQLI:

• The PQLI is a composite index that integrates three basic indicators, each given an equal weight (one-third contribution):

  1. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): This measures the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births. It is a key indicator of public health and access to healthcare facilities.

  2. Life Expectancy at Age One (LE1): This represents the number of additional years a person is expected to live after surviving their first birthday. Using 'age one' helps to mitigate the heavy influence of infant mortality on overall life expectancy.

  3. Basic Literacy Rate (BLR): This indicates the percentage of the population aged 15 and above who can read and write. It reflects the level of education and human capital development in a society.

• These three indicators are normalized and then averaged to produce a score ranging from 0 to 100, where 100 signifies the best performance.

Significance and Purpose:

• The PQLI was developed to highlight that economic growth (high GDP/GNP) does not always translate into better living conditions or quality of life for the general population.

• It demonstrated that countries with similar per capita incomes could have vastly different PQLI scores, depending on their investments in social services like health and education.

• The index helped shift the focus of development studies from purely economic measures to more holistic indicators of human welfare.

Limitations of PQLI:

• One of its main criticisms is the exclusion of economic indicators such as income distribution, employment, or poverty levels, which are crucial aspects of a country's development.

• It only includes three basic indicators, which some argue might be too limited to capture the complex dimensions of the quality of life.

Precursor to Human Development Index (HDI):

• The PQLI is often considered a forerunner to the more comprehensive and widely adopted Human Development Index (HDI).

• The HDI was introduced by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1990 and was primarily developed by Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq and Indian economist Amartya Sen.

• Unlike PQLI, HDI incorporates economic factors (GNI per capita, PPP$) alongside health (life expectancy at birth) and education (mean and expected years of schooling).