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on Economics of Happiness |
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Issue of 2011‒10‒15
six papers chosen by |
| By: | Vincenzo Carrieri; Maria De Paola (Dipartimento di Economia e Statistica, Università della Calabria) |
| Abstract: | Using a rich Italian survey, we investigate the effect of height on individual happiness. From our analysis it emerges that a large part of the effect of height on well-being is driven by a positive correlation between height and economic and health conditions. However, for young males the effect of height on happiness persists even after controlling for these variables, implying that height may produce some psycho-social direct effects on well-being. Consistent with this hypothesis, we find that males care not only about their own height but also about the height of people in their reference group. Well-being is greater for individuals who are taller than other subjects in their reference group. Results are robust to different definitions of reference group and controlling for a number of other reference group characteristics. We speculate that the beneficial effect of height on young males' well-being may be related to the fact that in some countries, such as Italy, and especially for men, height is considered as a proxy for handsomeness. |
| Keywords: | height, social comparison, subjective well-being |
| JEL: | D6 I10 I30 |
| Date: | 2011–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:clb:wpaper:201110&r=hap |
| By: | Claudia Senik (EEP-PSE - Ecole d'Économie de Paris - Paris School of Economics - Ecole d'Économie de Paris, PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - CNRS : UMR8545 - Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) - Ecole des Ponts ParisTech - Ecole Normale Supérieure de Paris - ENS Paris - INRA, Université Paris-Sorbonne - Ministère de l'Education nationale, de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche) |
| Abstract: | This article sheds light on the important differences in self-declared happiness across countries of equivalent affluence. It hinges on the different happiness statements of natives and immigrants in a set of European countries to disentangle the influence of objective circumstances versus psychological and cultural factors. The latter turns out to be of non-negligible importance in explaining international heterogeneity in happiness. In some countries, such as France, they are mainly responsible for the country's unobserved idiosyncratic level of (un-)happiness. |
| Keywords: | Happiness ; Subjective Well-Being ; International Comparisons ; France ; Immigration ; European Social Survey |
| Date: | 2011–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:psewpa:halshs-00628837&r=hap |
| By: | Ambrey, Christopher L.; Fleming, Christopher M. |
| Abstract: | The life satisfaction approach has recently emerged as a new technique in the suite of options available to non-market valuation practitioners. This paper examines the influence of ecosystem diversity on the life satisfaction of residents of South East Queensland, Australia. It is found that, on average, a respondent is willing-to-pay approximately AUD$20,000 in household income per annum to obtain a one-unit improvement in ecosystem diversity. This result indicates that the life satisfaction effects of improvements in ecosystem diversity are substantial, and greater than the welfare effects implied by studies using more conventional non-market valuation techniques. |
| Keywords: | Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA), Life Satisfaction, Non-market Valuation, Biodiversity, Ecosystem Diversity, Environmental Economics and Policy, |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:nzar11:115347&r=hap |
| By: | Dedehouanou, Senakpon; Maertens, Miet |
| Abstract: | This paper uses the framework of subjective wellbeing in order to analyze the welfare implication of rural households involved in modern agri-food supply chain in Senegal. It is argued that small farmers are increasingly excluded from high value commodities chain. There is also evidence that despite increasing standards, vegetable export chain can improve rural householdsâ welfare through contract farming or by the creation of employment. As an alternative and complementary framework, this paper uses self reported happiness instead of the commonly income-based measure to assess the household welfare. We deal with the potential selection bias of participation. We find that participation in modern agri-export chain as contract farming is not related to happiness. Rather, participation as agro-industry employee is positively and significantly correlated to happiness. There is also no evidence concerning income and relative income effect on happiness. We provide some explanations. |
| Keywords: | Agribusiness, |
| Date: | 2011 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:eaae11:114447&r=hap |
| By: | Rainer Winkelmann |
| Abstract: | Traditional tools of welfare economics identify the envy-related welfare loss from conspicuous consumption only under very strong assumptions. Measured income and life satisfaction offers an alternative for estimating such consumption externalities. The approach is developed in the context of luxury car consumption (Ferraris and Porsches) in Switzerland. Results from household panel data and fixed effects panel regressions suggest that the prevalence of luxury cars in the municipality of residence has a negative impact on own income satisfaction. |
| Keywords: | Ferrari, Porsche, status, consumption externality, Swiss Household Panel |
| JEL: | D12 D62 I31 |
| Date: | 2011–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zur:econwp:030&r=hap |
| By: | Böckerman, Petri; Bryson, Alex; Ilmakunnas, Pekka |
| Abstract: | Employees exposed to high involvement management (HIM) practices have higher subjective wellbeing, fewer accidents but more short absence spells than “like” employees not exposed to HIM. These results are robust to extensive work, wage and sickness absence history controls. We present a model which highlights the possibility of higher short-term absence in the presence of HIM because it is more demanding than standard production and because multi-skilled HIM workers cover for one another’s short absences thus reducing the cost of replacement labour faced by the employer. We find direct empirical support for the assumptions in the model. Consistent with the model, because long-term absences entail replacement labour costs for HIM and non-HIM employers alike, long-term absences are independent of exposure to HIM. |
| Keywords: | health; subjective wellbeing; sickness absence; job satisfaction; high involvement management; high performance work system |
| JEL: | M53 J81 J28 M54 M52 I10 |
| Date: | 2011–10–03 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:33847&r=hap |