Method and approach

The project builds on the existing experience and knowledge in the field of quality of life and goes beyond it by carrying out a more complete, refined and comprehensive analysis. It is an endeavour to describe and explain twenty years of social, economic and political transformation of Romania through quality of life data. While the main emphasis is on peoples’ views of their quality of life, the project also builds on structural conditions of Romanian society. The approach of the project is that of the quality of life paradigm.

The specific approach is the predominant bottom-up method that considers the relative contribution of each domain of life quality to the global quality of life.

The longitudinal analysis of each major quality of life domain will be undertaken in order to highlight stability and change in quality of life data and to further understand its significance for peoples’ lives and Romanian society in general. The project will make use of a unique data series, (Quality of Life Diagnosis 1990-2010) and a three year panel data that will allow a specific analysis of stability and change in quality of life data. Moreover, data provide by EQLS and the Eurobarometer series will be used.

The project will make use of bivariate, multivariate analysis of data and structural equation modelling in order to describe and explain the dynamics of quality of life during the twenty year period under scrutiny. The indicators include, besides quality of life data indicators that provide information in each domain analysed coming from various sources: statistical data, social reporting data.

Each domain will be treated in its own respect as well as in relation to quality of life in general. In regard to education, for example, the domain will be analysed by using quality of life indicators that comprise peoples’ evaluations and satisfactions in regard to education as well as various educational indicators. The main emphasis will be on perceptions and evaluations of education which will be related to the more objective setup of education. The picture will be complemented and explained by using indicators measuring inputs of education (e.g. school enrolment, educational expenditures and school resources), throughputs and outputs (e.g. graduation rates, completed years of schooling, standardized test-measures of people’s achievements in terms of literacy and numeracy).

Moreover, the contribution of education to quality of life will be analysed. Furthermore, inequalities in this field will be carefully scrutinized for Romania and compared, where possible, to those in other European countries. This is especially important for the practical implications of the project. Romania seems to be characterized by several major lines of division in the field of education: large inequalities in performance between schools in rural and urban, between schools in various communities, while combining excellence for many students that reach university education with widespread under-achievement for a large number of youth, mainly from disadvantaged households. This has many implications when trying to assess general quality of life and when trying to put in place various policies.