Is the Human Development Index Still Appropriate for the Assessment of Quality of Life?

Abstract

Developed by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the intent of the Human Development Index (HDI) was to assess country development through the lens of human capability development and potential, as an alternative to the reliance on economic growth. The HDI has served as a proxy for the determination of quality of life, which is measured in terms of life expectancy at birth, educational attainment in terms of number of years of school, and the gross national income (GNI) per capita as a reflection of the standard of living. While the HDI has been an effective measure that has guided country development and enabled human progress, existential research and Human Development Reports of the UNDP have acknowledged deficiencies in the existing HDI algorithm, highlighting a gap between HDI scores and quality of life. Through a narrative review and synthesis of literature published between 1978 and 2020, the aim of this research is to address the appropriateness of the HDI as a measure of quality of life. Three propositions along with an outcome-based process approach to quality of life are proposed to shape future research and development of the HDI.