Finnish research on changes in the standard of living

Abstract

Formerly the standard of living was considered a concept free of problems and researchers aimed only at analysing the consumption achieved on the basis of income. Since the late 1960s analysis of the concept ‘standard of living’ itself has been the object of growing interest together with the emerging new concepts welfare, quality of life and later on way of living and style of living. Theoretical analysis of standard of living and welfare, conducted within the social sciences, has given us concepts and created theoretical bases also for historical research on the standard of living and welfare.¹

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Hannu Soikkanen

Hannu Soikkanen, Professor of Social History, Department of Economic and Social History, University of Helsinki.