Paradox and Perception : Brookings Institution Press : 9780815703266 : 0815703260 : 29 Sep 2009 : "The ""quality of life"" concept of quality of life is a broad one. It incorporates basic needs but also extends beyond them to include capabilities, the ""livability"" of the environment, and life appreciation and happiness. Latin America's diversity in culture and levels of development provide a laboratory for studying how quality of life varies with a number of objective and subjective measures. These measures range from income levels to job insecurity and satisfaction, to schooling attainment and satisfaction, to measured and self-assessed health, among others. Paradox and Perception greatly improves our understanding of the determinants of well-being in Latin America based on a broad ""quality of life"" concept that challenges some standard assumptions in economics, including those about the relationship between happiness and income. The authors' analysis builds upon a number of ne