1st Edition

The Pursuit of Well-being for University Students in India Concepts, Theory and Measurement

By Narayan Prasad, Niti Arora Copyright 2026
194 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

194 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

This book details the concept, theory, and measurement of “human wellbeing,” in general, with a focus on university students in India. It investigates the experiences and correlates of wellbeing of Indian undergraduate students with the aim of enabling policymakers to plan and implement policies in the pursuit of a better quality of university life for students. The book analyses the status and... Read more

List of Figures

List of Tables

List of Boxes

Foreword

Preface

Brief Overview

Acknowledgements

PART I: Concept, Theory and Measurement of Human Wellbeing: An Overview

1 Human Wellbeing: Concept and Theory

2 Measurement Approaches to Human Wellbeing

PART II: University Students’ Wellbeing: Conceptual and Theoretical Framework

3 Youth Wellbeing: A Global Perspective

4 Research Methodology

PART III: Measurement of University Students’ Wellbeing

5 Educational Wellbeing

6 Perceived Economic Wellbeing

7 Health Wellbeing: Physical and Psychological Health

8 Social Connectedness and Personal-Choice Domain

9 Overall Wellbeing of University Students

PART IV: Conclusion and Discussion

10 Summary, Findings and Recommendations

Bibliography

Annexure A: Designing Framework for Measuring Wellbeing

Annexure B: Design of the Questionnaire

Annexure C: Questionnaire

Index

Biography

Narayan Prasad has been Professor of Economics in the School of Social Sciences. Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, since 2006. He has also worked as the Director of the Research Unit and the Director of the Academic Coordination Division of the same. He has designed and developed research methodology courses for MPhil and PhD students (21 students have been awarded PhD degrees under his supervision), has published six books and has presented and published research papers in several international and national forums. He has delivered lectures in New York, Washington and Los Angeles, amongst others, and has also been invited to deliver lectures on various aspects of research methodology, including on Knowledge Generation in West and Bharat: Philosophical Perspectives, by various universities in India. His areas of research interest are: Human Wellbeing, Human Development, Spiritual Economics and the philosophical foundation of Economics.

Niti Arora is an Associate Professor of Economics at Mata Sundri College for Women, University of Delhi. She holds an MPhil and PhD in Economics from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and is an alumna of Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. She has presented and published research papers in numerous national and international conference proceedings and has been actively involved in research projects. She regularly contributes to academic discourse as a coordinator, moderator and panellist at seminars and conferences. Her academic interests include Behavioural Economics, Development Economics and Human Development.