1. Indices of Consumer and Citizen Satisfaction: Measures of the Performance of the Market and Public Economy
- Author
-
Martin Pfaff
- Subjects
Government ,Economy ,Declaration of independence ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Citizen satisfaction ,Happiness ,Exchange economy ,Business ,Marketing ,Democracy ,media_common - Abstract
This paper reports on the pilot study of two aspects of the quality of life, namely consumer and citizen satisfaction. These measures of satisfaction are viewed as indicators of the performance of the two sub-systems of the economy, the first of which is the market or exchange economy, and the second, the public non-exchange or grants economy. The ultimate claim and justification of the market economy is generally held to be its ability to satisfy individual consumers better than any other type of economic system. Indeed, the whole marketing concept is defined in terms of the ability of firms to satisfy the consumers’ needs. Similarly, the Declaration of Independence which Americans celebrate on July 4 each year states that man has an inalienable right to “the pursuit of happiness.” It does not say that the government can or should guarantee happiness to anyone. Nevertheless, implicit in democratic theories of society is a notion that governments exist to protect, maintain, and if possible, increase the satisfaction of their citizens.
- Published
- 1974