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on Economics of Happiness |
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Issue of 2010‒02‒20
two papers chosen by |
| By: | Bruno S. Frey |
| Abstract: | Research on happiness has produced valuable insights into the sources of subjective well-being. A major finding from this literature is that people exhibit a "baseline" happiness that shows persistent strength over time, and twin studies have shown that genes play a signi cant role in explaining the variance of baseline happiness between individuals. However, these studies have not identi ed which genes might be involved. This article presents evidence of a speci c gene that predicts subjective well-being. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we show that individuals with a transcriptionally more ecient version of the serotonin transporter gene (5HTT) are signi cantly more likely to report higher levels of life satisfaction. Having one or two alleles of the more ecient type raises the average likelihood of being very satis ed with one's life by 8.5% and 17.3%, respectively. This result may help to explain the stable component of happiness and suggests that genetic association studies can help us to better understand individual heterogeneity in subjective well- being. |
| Keywords: | Happiness; Subjective Well-Being; Genetics |
| JEL: | A12 Z00 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cra:wpaper:2010-01&r=hap |
| By: | Chen, Xi; Zhang, Xiaobo |
| Abstract: | This paper reviews the recent literature on inequality and income distribution in rural China utilizing panel datasets. We begin by briefly summarizing and comparing available panel datasets for rural China that can be employed to explore issues on inequality and income distribution, and major data issues that might act as obstacles to research and policy enforcement are then analyzed. The paper then reviews the trend and spatial decompositions of rural income inequality, its major determinants, and its relationship with household welfare. Dimensions other than income inequality, such as income mobility and income polarization, are categorized and reviewed respectively. A recently developed branch of literature on inequality and health is summarized. On the basis of the review, this paper concludes by identifying new research areas with existing panel data sets and a new panel dataset that could shape future research. |
| Keywords: | Inequality；Income Distribution；Rural China；Panel Data |
| JEL: | D31 O53 O15 |
| Date: | 2009–10–25 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:20587&r=hap |