Factors affecting standard of living and decent standard of living
Standard of living, as discussed previously, is based on quantifiable terms and various aspects can be used to measure the same. There is a vast array of measurable factors under standard of living but the important ones are discussed here.
Class disparity (income level) and poverty line- In 2017, an estimated 9.2 percent of the global population still lived below the international poverty line of $1.90 a day — a threshold based on the average of the national poverty lines of 15 of the poorest countries. This amounts to 689 million extreme poor, 52 million fewer than in 2015. In many high-income countries, governments seek to ensure that households at least have sufficient incomes to afford basic essentials such as food and clothing, but also to help citizens reach socially acceptable living standards allowing full participation in society. Their success in doing so is commonly monitored in terms of how many citizens are below a poverty line set relative to median income, and by how far below it they fall (the ‘poverty gap’). Minimum income standard is defined as the percentage of the population in households below the income threshold times the average amount (in percentage terms) that they fall below it. It adopts not the dichotomous approach of simply counting the incidence of households below a line, but is weighted by how far households fall below this threshold. Simply tracking the incidence of incomes below this line without measuring depth could present as an improvement a situation where people on modest incomes went from just below to just above the threshold, even while those with much lower incomes, with a high resulting risk of material hardship, became worse off.
Housing facilities — Purchase affordability is measured as a ratio of housing costs (or monthly mortgage payments) to monthly income of the household. Purchase affordability is highly influenced by the ability to access mortgage and other home financing options.
Literacy rate- The global literacy rate for all males and females that are at least 15 years old is 86.3%. Males aged 15 and over have a literacy rate of 90%, while females lag only slightly behind at 82.7%. However, massive country-to-country differences exist. Developed nations almost always have an adult literacy rate of 96% or better. In contrast, the least developed nations manage an average literacy rate of only 65%. Direct country-to-country comparisons of literacy tend to be inexact. This is due mainly to two confounding factors: Many countries do not report their literacy every year, and many countries have mismatched definitions as to what qualifies as literacy. Countries with a high literacy rate usually have a high GDP per capita. Nations with low GDP frequently have lower literacy rates since the people in that country have less access to education, and children often have to work to help support the family.
Climate- Rising temperatures and changing monsoon rainfall patterns from climate change could cost India 2.8 % of GDP and depress the living standards of nearly half the country’s population by 2050, a World Bank report says.The report defines hotspot as a location where changes in average temperature and precipitation will have a negative effect on living standards. These hotspots are not only necessarily higher temperature zones than the surrounding areas, but also reflect the local population’s socio-economic capacity to cope with the climatic changes. The report provides options to prioritize investments and strategies to build local resilience to climate change. To offset the negative economic impact in India, for example, the analysis suggests enhancing educational attainment, reducing water stress, and improving job opportunities in the nonagricultural sectors. The analysis predicts that a 30 percent improvement on these measures could halt the decline in living standards by almost 1 percent from -2.8 percent to -1.9 percent.
Crime- As of 2019, a total of 51.5 lakh (5.15 million) cognizable crimes comprising 32.2 lakh Indian penal code (IPC) crimes and 19.4 lakh Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes were registered nationwide. Poorer countries with lower GDP would naturally have lower standards of living, hence crime rates increase in such countries.
DECENT STANDARD OF LIVING
The DLS as a ‘lowest common denominator’ of basic material requirements that are instrumental (but not sufficient) to achieve physical, and to an extent social dimensions of human wellbeing, whether conceived as basic needs or basic capabilities.
Nutrition- It is important not only to ensure adequate calories, but the right type of foods. Having cold storage avoids risks of ill health from food-borne diseases and discomfort related to the time spent preparing and purchasing food items. Minimum daily (context-dependent) intake of total calories, protein, vitamins and minerals and a modest sized refrigerator are the basic measurables
Housing- Safe shelter (SDG 11.1) is, like food, a universally accepted goal of development policy, and a component of multi-dimensional poverty indicators. Universal satisfiers include minimum floor space; adequate lighting; basic comfort bounded range of temperature and humidity in inhabited spaces; adequate, accessible water supply; and safe waste disposal.
Health- Universal satisfier include Sufficient and accessible preventive and curative health care facilities. Collective requirements are minimum physicians per 1000 people; and minimum national health expenditure. Societies require a minimum health expenditure, to sustain average life expectancy of 70–75 years.
Air quality- According to the Global Burden of Disease, household air pollution (typically from burning biomass) is the third highest health risk factor, leading to over 4 million premature deaths per year who are mainly women and children. Its avoidance requires that homes cook stoves and heating equipment run on liquid or gaseous fuels, rather than burn solid (biomass) fuels.
Education- Universal satisfier adequate schooling with adequate facilities and staff. Collective requirements adequate number of schools, equipped with space, teaching staff, facilities, and balanced curriculum.
REFERENCES –
1. “STANDARD OF LIVING | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary”. dictionary.cambridge.org. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
2. ^ “Standard of Living Definition”. Investopedia.com. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
3. ^ Rao, Narasimha D.; Min, Jihoon (July 2018). “Decent Living Standards: Material Prerequisites for Human Wellbeing”. Social Indicators Research. 138 (1): 225–244. doi:10.1007/s11205–017–1650–0. ISSN 0303–8300. PMC 6013539. PMID 29950752.
4. ^ “The Right to an Adequate Standard of Living”. Icelandic Human Rights Centre. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
5. ^ Clark, Nardinelli. “Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living”. Econlib.
6. ^ Staff, Investopedia. “Standard of Living Definition”. Investopedia.
8. https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/standard-of-living-by-country
Yuvakshi Dam
