Statistical and measurement issues in assessing the welfare status of aged individuals and populations

Abstract Univariate [Blackorby and Donaldson (1978), Bourguignon (1979), Shorrocks (1980, 1984), Foster (1983)] and multidimensional [Kolm (1973, 1977), Atkinson and Bourguignon (1982), Ram (1982), Massoumi (1986, 1989)] measures of social welfare and economic inequality have been proposed. We consider statistical and measurement issues in empirically evaluating individual and population welfare using a procedure producing ‘fuzzy’ state descriptions which exhibit properties proposed for social welfare functions. We discuss the model's properties and its use in estimating the parameters of a multidimensional welfare process. Analyses of the U.S. elderly disabled population are presented - a group with high service needs important for federal health policy.

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