BAKER, William Ernest <br/><br/>
Defining quality of life in Alabama :  a perceptual community based definition for local leaders 

 - New York :  Marcel Dekker,  2003 
<br/><br/> Quality of Life (QOL), as a framework for evaluation can aid public policy making. There are many uses for such QOL studies. They are used in corporate and individuals site selections, comparing growth of jurisdictions, and measuring overall satisfaction in communities. Yet, a workable definition of QOL has befuddled evaluators for many years. A perceptual community based definition of QOL has potential for a synoptic benchmark for local policy makers. This study uses an elite survey method to perceptually define QOL in Alabama's major cities. The survey indicates that most of the services provided in cities are important factors in defining QOL. The survey also defines an “importance rank” of these services. The author asserts that such a derived definition can be used as an important benchmark for any city.