Standard of Living

dear all, still on the subject of the "poor" and the "wealthy" - this is going to be rather academic and i post it here for us to have an idea what it's all about

i'm no student nor a master of economics (as i've said many time in the IGP eGroup, sekolah atap aje...) and this is what i have found out briefly about the "Standard of Living" (theoretically at least) from somewhere in cyberspace, and i want to have some sort of guideline as to how to look at that situation in Kg Lipat Kajang to be able to deduce more correctly, if not exactly, what is the real "standard of living" affecting each and every household in the kampong, we can compare the posting "Living Standard" posted earlier by bro mylias against what the book says here about the "Standard of Living" and see for ourselves more clearly...



to all the pakar ekonomi, bankers, financial analysts and the like, i just want to enlighten myself here (and maybe some of us too), i'm a bit ignorant on this subject



Standard of Living


The Standard of Living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people, and the way these goods and services are distributed within a population. It is generally measured by standards such as real (i.e. inflation adjusted) income per person and poverty rate. Other measures include access and quality of health care, income growth inequality, and educational standards. Examples are access to certain goods (such as number of refrigerators per 1000 people), or measures of health such as life desires. It is the ease by which people living in a time or place are able to satisfy their wants and desires.
The idea of a 'standard' may be contrasted with the quality of life, which takes into account not only the material standard of living, but also other more intangible aspects that make up to human life, such as leisure, safety, cultural resources, social life, physical health, environmental quality issues etc.
More complex means of measuring well-being must be employed to make such judgments, and these are very often political, thus controversial. Even between two nations or societies that have similar material standards of living, quality of life factors may in fact make one of these places more attractive to a given individual or group.
However, there can be problems even with just using numerical averages to compare material standards of living, as opposed to, for instance, a Pareto index (a measure of the breadth of income or wealth distribution). Standards of living are perhaps inherently subjective. As an example, countries with a very small, very rich upper class and a very large, very poor lower class may have a high mean level of income, even though the majority of people have a low "standard of living". This mirrors the problem of poverty measurement, which also tends towards the relative. This illustrates how distribution of income can disguise the actual Standard of Living.
There are many factors being considered before measuring standard of living. Some factors are gross domestic product, the per capita income, population, infrastructural development, stability (political and social), main economy of a region (fishing, agriculture, industry, travel - that have an impact on availability and cost of food and appliances), geographical position, and many other indicators.
It can also be referred to as comfort.
In economics, inflation is a rise in the general level of prices of goods and services in an economy over a period of time. The term "inflation" once referred to increases in the money supply (monetary inflation); however, economic debates about the relationship between money supply and price levels have led to its primary use today in describing price inflation. Inflation can also be described as a decline in the real value of money—a loss of purchasing power in the medium of exchange which is also the monetary unit of account.[3] When the general price level rises, each unit of currency buys fewer goods and services. A chief measure of price inflation is the inflation rate, which is the percentage change in a price index over time.
Inflation can cause adverse effects on the economy. For example, uncertainty about future inflation may discourage investment and saving.
High inflation may lead to shortages of goods as consumers begin hoarding them out of concern their prices will increase in the future.
High rates of inflation and hyperinflation are caused by an excessive growth of the money supply.
Views on which factors determine moderate rates of inflation are more varied. Low or moderate inflation may be attributed to fluctuations in real demands for goods and services, or changes in available supplies such as during scarcities, as well as to growth in the money supply.
A sustained period of inflation is caused when money supply increases faster than the growth in productivity in the economy.
"Inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon."
The "purchasing power of non monetary items does not change in spite of variation in national currency value."
Quality of Life is the degree of well-being felt by an individual or group of people. Unlike Standard of Lving, quality of life is not a tangible thing, and so it cannot be measured directly. It consists of two components: physical and psychological. The physical aspect includes things such as health, diet, and protection against pain and disease. The psychological aspect includes stress, worry, pleasure and other positive or negative emotional states.
Physical Health
Physical fitness is good body health, and is the result of regular exercise, proper diet and nutrition, and proper rest for physical recovery.
A strong indicator of the health of localized population is their height/weight, which generally increases with improved nutrition and health care.
This is also influenced by the standard of living and quality of life. Genetics also plays a major role in people's height.
Mental Health
Mental health refers to an individual's emotional and psychological well-being, and is defined as "A state of emotional and psychological well-being in which an individual is able to use his or her cognitive and emotional capabilities, function in society, and meet the ordinary demands of everyday life."
According to the World Health Organization, there is no single "official" definition of mental health. Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing professional theories all affect how "mental health" is defined.
In general, most experts agree that "mental health" and "mental illness" are not opposites. In other words, the absence of a recognized mental disorder is not necessarily an indicator of sound mental health.
One way to think about mental health is by looking at how effectively and successfully a person functions. Feeling capable and competent; being able to handle normal levels of stress, maintain satisfying relationships, and lead an independent life; and being able to "bounce back," or recover from difficult situations, are all signs of mental health.
A combination of physical, emotional, social and most importantly mental well-being is necessary to achieve overall health.




Lipat Kajang people (or decendents) are encouraged to participate& contribute (Orang Lipat Kajang, atau keturunan, di jemput memberi sumbangan idea)