Economically advanced nations have made significant progress toward meeting the basic needs of their populations; the majority of developing countries have not. The thirteen papers in this volume explore a broad range of factors that impact on quality of life worldwide: globalization, regionalization, recently regained political autonomy, migration, health and illness, food and agriculture, the family, and the contribution of faith and spirituality in advancing personal and collective well-being in a turbulent world.

Zusammenfassung
Environmentalissuescontinuedtoloomlargeinthelastdecadeofthetwentiethc- tury,especiallyenvironmentalproblemsrelatedtorisinglevelsofCO emissionsand 2 other greenhouse gases on the planet's average temperatures and, subsequently, storm patterns. Floods and droughts, in combination with unseasonably high and low temperatures became the norm rather than the exception for large expanses of Africa,Asia and Oceania. Even large areas of Europe and NorthAmerica were s- jected to recurrent floods and droughts and experienced unseasonable extremes of hot and cold temperatures associated with man-made intrusions into the natural environment. And,still,aglobalplanofactiontohaltman-relatedpatternsofdef- estation, desertification, and over-fishing of the seas has yet to come into being. At the same time, the number of regional conflicts and civil wars increased and, with them, the lives of many women, children, old people and other n- combatants were lost in these conflicts. Increasingly, regional wars and conflicts had less to do with disputes over land or other natural resources but more with the differing social, political and religious identifications of the people engaged in these conflicts. Warnings of genocide and near-genocide conditions were commonly proclaimed to the world community but, sadly, the planet's inter- tional security apparatus proved to be largely ineffective in containing many of the worst of these atrocities. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people, ev- tually millions, died while awaiting assistance from the global community to bring an end to their suffering.

Inhalt
Regional and National Perspectives on Advancing Quality of Life.- How Does European Union Enlargement Affect Social Cohesion?.- Promoting Well-Being: A British Perspective.- Importance and Satisfaction With Life Domains in Croatia: Representative Sample.- Advancing Quality of Life in Selected Sectors.- Commuting and Quality of Life: The Italian Case.- An Alternative Measure of Years of Healthy Life.- Analyzing Sustainable Wealth Indicators for Evaluating the Contribution of a Regional Industrial Sector Toward Quality of Life and Sustainable Development.- Fuel Sources and Well-Being in the Marshall Islands.- Spirituality as a Robust Empirical Predictor of Psychosocial Outcomes: A Cross-Cultural Analysis.- Hope and Spirituality in the Age of Anxiety.- Advancing Quality of Life for Selected Population Groups.- Communitarian versus Individualistic Arrangements in the Family: What and Whose Income Matters for Happiness?.- Socioeconomic Inequality and Inequalities in Health Among Kibbutz Elderly.- Life Satisfaction Crossover Among Couples.- Migrant Family Adaptation and Quality of Life: A Qualitative Study in Brazil.