**1. Introduction**

There are many ways in which the standard of living and wellbeing of a population can be measured in a particular country. In the context of most states shelved under the category of developing countries, Botswana included, the level of community development activities is considered key in measuring the standard of living and wellbeing of the people. Incontrovertibly, there is an obvious link between standard of living and wellbeing. Let us commence by briefly unpacking the meanings of the concepts of wellbeing and standard of living, before we explore the link with community development.

Many authors confess that the concept of wellbeing is difficult to define, comprehend and measure [1, 2]. This concept can however, be understood in varied ways [3]. According to Axford [4] the notion of wellbeing revolves around issues of needs, rights, poverty, quality of life, and social exclusion. Stratham and Chase [5] add that this notion can be comprehended in two broad ways: first, through objective indicators such as household income, health status and educational resources, and secondly, through subjective indicators which include perceptions of one's quality of life, life satisfaction and happiness.

While the notion of wellbeing has traditionally tended to focus on the individual, some commentators take a broader perspective of this concept (wellbeing) and emphasize community rather than individual circumstances. Marshall et al. [6] observed that, "…wellbeing is a state of being where all members of a community have economic security; are respected, valued, and have personal worth; feel connected to those around them; are able to access necessary resources; and are able to participate in the decision-making process affecting them" (p. 1). Hence, viewed this way, wellbeing, as a concept, is envisioned to encompass economic, physical, social, emotional, environmental, spiritual and political factors. Deneulin and McGregor [7] corroborates this contention by the standpoint that wellbeing should be conceptualized and measured on the basis of psychological, political and social perspective within a specified socio-cultural context. The structural systems, especially the socio-economic and political spheres are important in assessing and defining wellbeing because there are varying levels of power embedded within them which is likely to empower or disempower people, and consequently exposing them to better or poor wellbeing respectively. In today's world, attainment of meaningful wellbeing is considered a goal that is immensely valued, especially in development circles. The essence of this concept is succinctly captured in Goal 3 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), which contends thus: 'Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing of all ages.'

The term standard of living (SL), on the other hand, basically refers to the amount and quality of material goods and services available to a given population [8]. Standard of living, as a concept, is apparently narrowly focused on the value of goods and services produced and consumed. Measurement of standard of living, therefore includes basic material factors such as income, gross domestic product (GDP), life expectancy, and economic opportunity [9]. The World Bank [10], put it more succinctly when it noted that standard of living is essentially measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. Each individual in any given society has a right to an adequate standard of living. This is a fundamental human right as stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights crafted by the United Nations in 1948. Basing on the above observations, it can be surmised that attaining a certain standard of living, therefore, does impact an individual's wellbeing [11]. Thus the terms standard of living and wellbeing enjoy a symbiotic relationship. The current paper considers issues around standard of living, well-being and community development, with particular focus on Botswana's experience.

The Community development and wellbeing cannot be disassociated because they tend to coalesce [12]. Community development is critical because in most instances it uses participatory methods that help people to have a sense of improved wellbeing. Participatory methods are important in the achievement of wellbeing because they empower people. The use of participatory methods makes people to have a sense of ownership of the end results; local needs are accurately identified and met. Participatory methods also enhance team work and provide space to challenge certain ideas that do not benefit the community [13].

### **2. Wellbeing: concepts and theory**

Sen's capabilities framework, as well as human needs, and adaptation theories have been used in efforts to understand the concept of wellbeing. Sen's capabilities

#### *Standard of Living, Well-Being and Community Development: The Case of Botswana DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97680*

approach in particular emphasizes individual's capability and functioning to achieve a state of wellbeing [14], while the theory of human needs considers needs as universal and important for health and people's autonomy [15], Adaptation theory, on the other hand, shows that diverse components of wellbeing are dynamic and that people's adaptation to similar situations differs [16] hence similar factors cannot be used to define wellbeing.

Fisher [17] criticized current theories of wellbeing for their failure to capture the psychological status, hence making them irrelevant for social or public policy. Most literature points to two dominant ideologies, namely: (one) objective and (two) subjective conceptual frameworks to wellbeing. An objective perspective of wellbeing is consistent with Sen's capability model as it tends to focus on a variety of components or factors that have an impact on the quality of life such as physical health, emotional expressions, and one's ability to use educational achievement to attain life goals as well as dignified life that gives one the right to autonomy and participation in societal platforms that are meaningful to the individual. According to Kuklys and Robeyns [14], the capability model describes wellbeing as a personal achievement that is determined by a person's life choices and access to basic needs or rights. Sen's capability model has, however, been criticized for being narrowly constructed, with limited consideration of the contribution of structural systems on people's functioning or capabilities.

The subjective approach, on the other hand, tends to limit the conception of wellbeing to a few items that influence the quality of life such as income and employment status. According to Gasper [18], subjective wellbeing encompasses "feelings and/or judgements of the person whose wellbeing is estimated" (pp. 14). Western and Tomaszewski [19] argue that the definition of wellbeing should be inclusive of the socio-economic, political and environmental factors as they determine life satisfaction in one way or the other. The two authors further argue that measuring wellbeing from an objective perspective is not always fair because it often overlooks other important factors that interplays such as class, age and gender. In addition, wellbeing can be measured using social indicators, a framework which theorizes and measures wellbeing using social factors such as summative status of education, security, income and socio-political status. Theories of human need [15] consider wellbeing as the fulfillment of basic needs, health included. Gasper [18] argues that defining wellbeing from a need basis is normative and similar to the objective approach as emphasis is on external assessment and approval of subjective factors of a people's lives such as mobility and morbidity.

In the paper, the authors adopt Sen's theoretical (capabilities) approach to understanding wellbeing and standard of living as the paper focusses essentially on the government of Botswana's efforts to improve the quality of life of the people through various platforms of community development.
