Quality of Life Research: Responses to Emerging Issues in a Changing World

Abstract

Quality of (QOL) is an important issue that has attracted the attention of researchers, practitioners, policy makers and the public at large. Throughout different stages of the family cycle, we are facing many issues related to of life. With the growing knowledge-based economy and fluctuation in the global economy, it is timely to ask how we can live a quality life and promote of in a turbulent and rapidly changing global ecology. With such changing macro landscapes, it is definitely necessary to conduct more QOL research to examine the related issues. In 2003, a conference entitled International Conference on Quality of Life in a Global World was organized by the Faculty of Social Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong. With the kind support of Professor Alex Michalos, Editor of Social Indicators Research , selected papers presented at the conference were reviewed and published in a special issue of Social Indicators Research (Shek et al. 2005a) and a book (Shek et al. 2005b). To provide another platform to examine advances in of studies, with particular reference to human development and the environment in different parts of the world, another international conference entitled Human Development and the Environment: Advances in Quality of Life Studies was held on December 11-12, 2008 at The