The socio-economic development of the country is the goal of every state. An important element in achieving this goal is the availability and application of a macroeconomic generalizing indicator that reveals the purpose of public policy. The main aim of the study is to identify the socio-economic characteristics of the organization of life in the countries of Scandinavia, using the macroeconomic generalizing indicator RAZ (the name of the indicator is based on the first part of the Russian word “razvitie” translated as “development”), proposed by the authors. The authors consider this indicator as suitable for cross-country comparisons of the quality of life and an objective estimation of development of the society from the point of view of focusing on the maximum disclosure of person's abilities and personal development. The research was based on the methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization and modeling, as well as on the case-study method. The use of these methods made it possible to identify the characteristics of the socio-economic organization of life and characteristics defining quality of life (human birth, education and medical care) in their composition, and also the indicators corresponding to them characterizing qualitative changes — levels of human birth rate, education and medical care. The generalized estimation of the specified characteristics defining quality of life, it is offered to make by means of a macroeconomic generalizing indicator. For its calculation a set of the quantity indicators defining quality of life (population in the country, number of the persons trained in an education system and number of healthy people) is generated. The authors make an assessment of the macroeconomic generalizing indicator and the set of the quantity indicators defining quality of life (the population in the country, the number of healthy people and the number of people studying in the education system).The study has developed an approach to calculating defining quality of life indicators using the System of National Accounts according to the data of the European Bureau of Statistical Research and the official websites of the national statistical services of the countries of Scandinavia and Switzerland as a country that has indicators close to the leading values of the countries of Scandinavia. These estimates can be used for comparative analysis purposes. The study compiled a rating of countries according to the macroeconomic generalizing indicator. According to calculations, Norway occupies a leading position. The lowest rank is observed in Sweden. There are changes in the quality of life in society, and this complex phenomenon requires an objective assessment. Generalizing indicator of the development provides such an assessment. The indicator allows us to evaluate the set of characteristics that determine the quality of life, which is not yet taken into account in cross-country comparisons, and to compare them. It has been established that the lack of development of the conceptual apparatus and the unavailability of important statistical information complicate the principle of compiling the indicator and lead to an inaccurate calculation of the macroeconomic generalizing indicator at this study stage. Nevertheless, it was found out that the calculation could be made in relation to the following levels: humanity (world), country, region or city. Further research is planned to study substantiation of the conceptual device of formation of RAZ as indicator for cross-country comparisons of quality of life and an objective estimation of development of the society, as well as for using it as a modelling element of social and economic systems. Besides, it is necessary to develop additional characteristics that take into account the influence of a person’s life expectancy on the quality of his life, as well as in clarifying the conceptual apparatus for forming a macroeconomic generalizing indicator RAZ for building a rational organization of people's place of residence. This approach creates new theoretical and methodological foundations for scientific knowledge of the socio-economic development of the countries and allows us to analyze the quality of life as a base which moves development of the countries in different historical periods and to see the development of the world in the future in a different way.
A critical approach to economic development
