arXiv 8 Feb 2025 · Machine Learning
arXiv:2502.06866 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text
The drastic changes in the global economy, geopolitical conditions, and disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the cost of living and quality of life. It is important to understand the long-term nature of the cost of living and quality of life in major economies. A transparent and comprehensive living index must include multiple dimensions of living conditions. In this study, we present an approach to quantifying the quality of life through the Global Ease of Living Index that combines various socio-economic and infrastructural factors into a single composite score. Our index utilises economic indicators that define living standards, which could help in targeted interventions to improve specific areas. We present a machine learning framework for addressing the problem of missing data for some of the economic indicators for specific countries. We then curate and update the data and use a dimensionality reduction approach (principal component analysis) to create the Ease of Living Index for major economies since 1970. Our work significantly adds to the literature by offering a practical tool for policymakers to identify areas needing improvement, such as healthcare systems, employment opportunities, and public safety. Our approach with open data and code can be easily reproduced and applied to various contexts. This transparency and accessibility make our work a valuable resource for ongoing research and policy development in quality-of-life assessment.
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The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.
| Reference | Intensity | Mentions | Sections | Main text | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, https://smartnet.niua.org/eol… (2018) https://smartnet.niua.org/eol-report | 1.000 | 6 | 4 | 100% |
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| 7 | Research on comprehensive evaluation of higher education, Frontiers… (2021) https://doi.org/10.25236/fer.2021.040309 doi:10.25236/fer.2021.040309 | 0.511 | 2 | 1 | 100% |
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Showing the top 10 of 173 scored citations.