Such a goal is probably not achievable across
all domains of inquiry. It is probably not even workable for
individual domains in many areas, although it is still important to
try. Whether or not universal measurement devices (or universally
applicable vignettes) can be invented, we still will often want to
compare many aspects of health and other concepts across many
different places. Our preference for how to do this in most
situations is to get it right in specific contexts, and to build up to
more generality when possible by comparing across different small sets
of areas in separate studies. If we can get measurement right in each
of the villages in one set of studies, for example, that may make it
more feasible to compare several of these with different villages in
different areas, and ultimately as we improve understanding we might
be able to make much broader comparisons.
