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Physical Quality of Life Index

Morris David Morris created the Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) for the Overseas Development Council in the mid-1970s. It was formed in response to unhappiness with the use of GNP as a development indicator.

PQLI is a step forward, but it still suffers from the same issues as other attempts to quantify quality of life. It has also been chastised since infant mortality and life expectancy are so closely related. The United Nations Human Development Index is a more generally used metric of happiness.

  • The Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) is an effort to quantify a nation’s overall standard of life or even well.
  • The number is calculated by taking the average of three facts and figures: basic literacy rate, newborn fatality rate, and their life span at one year, all of which are evenly valued on a 0 to 100 scale. 
  • It was discovered in the middle of the 1970s by Morris David Morris for the International Technical Committee as one of a number of metrics produced in response to discontent through the use of GNP as a proxy for economic growth.
  • While the Physical Quality of Life Index may be considered an improvement, it shares the basic difficulties associated with quantifying the quality of life. Additionally, it has been questioned due to the substantial overlapping between newborn mortality.
  • Life expectancy rate represents the average number of years that an individual is predicted to live. According to the 2011 census, the average age in India is 66.8 years.
  • Infant mortality is the number of newborns that die during the first year of infancy for every 1000 births. According to the 2011 census, it is 47 per 1000 people. 
  • Basic literacy rate: Any individual above the age of seven who can read and comprehend in at least one language is deemed educated. According to the 2011 census, it stands at 74.04 per cent in India.
  • Each of the aforementioned criteria is scored on a scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being the poorest performance and 100 representing the highest performance. The Physical Quality of Life Index is then computed by comparing these three parameters and allocating equal merit to each.

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Advantages of PQLI

  • The advantages of PQLI are that it aids in comprehending the economy’s overall wellbeing and the effectiveness with which its welfare measures are executed. This assists the government in implementing remedial measures.
  • The technique used to calculate the Physical Quality of Life Index is universally accepted. As a result, it may be used to compare nations, which enables comparatively impoverished countries to take remedial action, which is one of the advantages of PQLI.
  • The three metrics, namely life expectancy, infant mortality, and literacy, all accurately reflect the country’s population wellbeing. A nation that scores well on all three parameters is considered to have a successful economy. It is another advantage of PQLI.
  • The Physical Quality of Life Index evaluates the country’s sharing of income. A nation cannot have a high life expectancy, a long life expectancy, or a low newborn mortality rate unless a significant proportion of its inhabitants gain from economic progress.

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Drawbacks of PQLI

  • The Physical Quality of Life Index overlooks a variety of elements that affect one’s quality of life, including job, housing, justice, life expectancy rate, and state pensions.
  • The Physical Quality of Life Index is an arithmetic mean of the literacy rate, infant mortality, and life expectancy rate, with each element receiving equal weighting. However, it is hard to see why all elements should be given equal weight.
  • The Physical Quality of Life Index does not account for a country’s economy changing structurally.

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Conclusion

The physical quality of life index is an essential component for countries. As, it can be used to compare nations, which aids the comparatively impoverished countries in taking remedial action. The three indicators, namely life expectancy, infant mortality, and literacy rate, accurately reflect the country’s citizens’ well-being.