Issues and factors affecting Consumption and Quality of Life

1. Issues and factors affecting Consumption and Quality of Life Lecture 10

2. Learning Outcome

3. Influencing Factors • Governance/Politic • Urban development • Economy • Socio- cultural

4. 1. Governance/Politic Politic is the art or science of government or governing, especially the governing of a political entity, such as a nation, and the administration and control of its internal and external affairs. Governance is the act, process, or power of governing; government. Worldwide political changes have been extensive: WW1- 1914-1922 WW2- 1939-1945 Occupation of Palestine by Israel in 1967 Unification of Germany 1990 Collapse of Soviet Union in 1991 Occupation of Iraq by USA in 2003.

5. Political Characteristics • Extent of political stability • Strength of public institutions • Extent of centralization of political power • Degree of administrative efficiency • Extent of leadership commitment to economic development • Degree of competitiveness of political parties • Degree of freedom of political opposition and press • Political strength of the military • Strength of labor movement • Public policies • Political conflict

6. How politics affect QOL 1) Choices made by voters, as manifested by the governments they elect, and the subsequent public policy regimes those governments establish, determine the degree to which individuals find their lives satisfying . 2) Different the ideological orientation of state governments have strong effects on satisfaction with life eg. Communism. 3) International and bilateral relations with other nations can lead to conflict and even war.

7. 4) Governments will develop policies and these policies affect the lives of the people. Welfare policies i.e. policies on range of services intended to meet people's needs such as salary system, health, education will affect quality of life for entire citizens. 5) Economic practices and regulations such as market regulations, taxation and subsidies influence economic growth 6) The communication practices of an organization or government- transparency for example in the United States allow more access to information, but politics in other countries may inhibit access to information.

8. Case Study- North Korea • North Korea is a self-described as self-reliant state, described by some observers as a "hereditary dictatorship with a pronounced cult of personality organized around Kim II-Sung (the founder of North Korea and the country's only president) and his son and heir, Kim Jong-il. Following Kim Il-sung's death in 1994, he was not replaced but instead received the designation of “Eternal President“. • North Korea is one of only two (along with Cuba) with an almost entirely government-planned, state-owned economy. • North Korea has the highest percentage of military personnel per capita of any nation in the world, with approximately 1 enlisted soldier for every 25 citizens.

9. Only news that favors the regime is permitted, while news that covers the economic and political problems in the country, or criticisms of the regime from abroad, is not allowed. The media upholds the personality cult of Kim Jong –il, regularly reporting on his daily activities. The main news provider to media is the Korean Central News Agency. No private press exists • Literature and arts in North Korea are state-controlled, mostly through the Propaganda and Agitation Department or the Culture and Arts Department of the Central Committee . • In 2006, Amnesty International reported that a national nutrition survey found that 7% of children were severely malnourished; 37% were chronically malnourished; 23.4% were underweight; and one in three mothers was malnourished and anaemic as the result of the lingering effect of the famine.

10. 2. Urban Development • Industrialization caused heavy rural-urban migration, half the world is urban. - Mexico City -24.4 million; Bombay-16million • Government is unable to cope with the demand for housing, sanitation, water supply , social and cultural amenities etc. • Overcrowded, congested houses and illegal squatters andslums lead to many social problems – crime, drug Air pollution, congestion leads to health related impacts.

11. In 2008, the world reaches an invisible but momentous milestone: For the first time in history, more than half its human population, 3.3 billion people, will be living in urban areas. • By 2030, this is expected to swell to almost 5 billion. This will be particularly notable in Africa and Asia where the urban population will double between 2000 and 2030 • Many of the new urbanites will be poor. Their future, the future of cities in developing countries, the future of humanity itself, all depend very much on decisions made now in preparation for this growth.

12. Slum in Mumbai, India. 55% of the population of Mumbai live in slums, which cover only 6% of the city's land. Slum growth rate in Mumbai is greater than the general urban growth rate. Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, the second largest slum in Africa and third largest in the world.

13. Challenges • Urbanization—the increase in the urban share of total population—is inevitable, but it can also be positive. • The current concentration of poverty, slum growth and social disruption in cities does paint a threatening picture: Yet no country in the industrial age has ever achieved significant economic growth without urbanization. • The challenge is for the government to plan for this growth and provide suitable infrastructures to enable achievement of good quality of life.

14. 3. Economic • Economic growth should lead to the satisfaction of human needs and is a necessary means towards achieving a better quality of life. • Income has to be distributed equitably across the society.This includes the real per capita income, the income inequality (Gini Coefficient) and the incidence of poverty. • The primary task of development is to eliminate poverty, World Bank 1992.

15. 4. Socio-cultural • Social refers to the interaction of organisms with other organisms and to their collective co-existence. Human cannot survive and meet their needs other than through social co-operation and association. • Social factors include family life, friends, neighborhood, racial harmony, safety and security, community participation, leisure and recreational activities and work life

16. A culture is a way of life of a group of people--the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next. • For example Chinese, Malay & Indian culture – different ways of eating, wedding, celebrations, dressing,

17. Culture alters quality of life and that that individual quality of life is enhanced by a person's ability to be educated and be brought up in a warm, caring social environment. • Loving, caring support from family, friends, and the community at large is extremely important for the general well-being of the individual. • Technology, development, globalization are changing the social environment and culture of individuals and societies worldwide.

18. Cultural-Element Ethnicity Religion Language Tradition

19. Factors Socio-Demographic Culture • Population growth • Life span • Mortality rate • Urbanization • Ageing • Religion • Preferences • Life style • Values • Traditions

20. Technology • ICT –internet, computers, social media • New materials • Transportation – fast and cheap • Medical- transplant • Agriculture - cloning

21. Other Influencing Factors • Environmental problems • Global warming • World politics • War, conflicts, disasters • Depletion of natural resources • New emerging diseases

22. Consumption trends • Overconsumption • Misconsumption • Sustainable/green consumption • Changing preferences- fast foods • Changing life styles – dual income earners, less children

23. QOL Trends • Disparities in living standards among nations, rural vs urban • Widening gap between rich and poor\Incresing suicide rate among fast developing countries • High divorce rate • High crime rate • Decrease in personal safety and security • Increase in depression, anxiety and tension due to work and life pressures

24. Challenges • To adopt a balance lifestyle so as to enhance QOL • To adopt sustainable consumption pattern in order to ensure sustainable development even at the expense of traditions. • To elevate the poor within the country and across other nations • Use technology sensibly so that it helps to advance QOL not otherwise.