|
on Economics of Happiness |
|
Issue of 2010‒02‒27
five papers chosen by |
| By: | Vincenzo Carrieri; Marcel Bilger (Dipartimento di Economia e Statistica, Università della Calabria) |
| Abstract: | La presenza di un’elevata concentrazione delle condizioni di malattia nelle aree disagiate è un tema molto dibattuto di salute pubblica. Da una parte si sostiene che tale concentrazione sia la manifestazione dell’effetto della povertà e del disagio individuale (effetto composizionale), mentre più di recente si è cominciato ad ipotizzare che anche il contesto possa esercitare un’influenza autonoma sui risultati di salute. Questo lavoro rappresenta il primo tentativo empirico per l’Italia di verificare l’effetto della deprivazione del quartiere di residenza in termini di inquinamento ambientale, criminalità, vandalismo e degrado urbano sulle condizioni di salute percepita, la presenza di malattie croniche e la presenza di condizioni di disabilità di lunga durata. Il lavoro mostra, come, accanto ad un forte effetto delle condizioni socio-economiche individuali, le cattive condizioni sociali ed ambientali del quartiere di residenza esercitino un’influenza non trascurabile sulla salute, soprattutto per le donne e gli individui disagiati dal punto di vista socio-economico. L’effetto della deprivazione, inoltre, sembra essere più marcato nelle regioni centrosettentrionali rispetto a quelle meridionali probabilmente a causa di una maggiore deprivazione relativa. Questi risultati suggeriscono di accompagnare ad i tradizionali interventi di politica sociale aventi come focus l’individuo, politiche tese a migliorare le condizioni sociali, economiche ed ambientali dei quartieri disagiati, con possibili benefici sulla salute fruibili dalle intere comunità che li abitano. |
| Keywords: | Neighbourhood, Deprivazione Socio-Economica, Salute |
| JEL: | I10 I30 R23 |
| Date: | 2010–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:clb:wpaper:201003&r=hap |
| By: | Vanessa Gash; Antje Mertens; Laura Romeu Gordo |
| Abstract: | This paper asks whether part-time work makes women happy. Previous research on labour supply has assumed that as workers freely choose their optimal working hours on the basis of their innate preferences and the hourly wage rate, outcome reflects preference. This paper tests this assumption by measuring the impact of changes in working-hours on life satisfaction in two countries (the UK and Germany using the German Socio-Economic Panel and the British Household Panel Survey). We find decreases in working-hours bring about positive and significant improvement on well-being for women. |
| Keywords: | Temporary Employment, Unemployment, Health |
| JEL: | J41 J64 I10 |
| Date: | 2010 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:diw:diwsop:diw_sp268&r=hap |
| By: | Proto, Eugenio (University of Warwick); Sgroi, Daniel (University of Warwick); Oswald, Andrew J. (University of Warwick) |
| Abstract: | We live in a high-divorce age. It is now common for university faculty to have students who are touched by a recent divorce. It is likely that parents themselves worry about effects on their children. Yet there has been almost no formal research into the important issue of how recent parental-divorce affects students at university. This paper designs such a study. In it, to avoid 'priming', we measure students' happiness with life before we inquire into their family background. We also measure student achievement in a randomized-trial productivity task. Our results seem both of scientific interest and of potential interest to parents. This study finds no evidence that students suffer after parental divorce |
| Keywords: | labor productivity, divorce, well-being, happiness, experimental economics |
| JEL: | J24 C91 |
| Date: | 2010–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp4755&r=hap |
| By: | Brewer, M.; O'Dea, C.; Paull, G.; Sibieta, L. |
| Abstract: | The Government has high-profile child poverty targets which are assessed using a measure of income, as recorded in the Household Below Average Income series (HBAI). However, income is an imperfect measure of living standards. Previous analysis suggests that some children in households with low income do not have commensurately low living standards. This report aims to document the extent to which this is true, focusing on whether children in low-income households have different living standards depending on whether their parents are employed, self-employed, or workless. |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ner:ucllon:http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/18312/&r=hap |
| By: | Sharmila, N; Dhas, Albert Christopher |
| Abstract: | Women constitute almost half of the population of the world. Education for women is the best way to improve the health, nutrition and economic status of a household that constitute a micro unit of a nation economy. In this context, it can be argued that lack of woman education can be an impediment to the country’s economic development. In India, women achieve far less education that of men. As per the Census report 2001, the literacy rate of women is 54.16 per cent and that of men is 65.38 per cent. There has been a sincere effort to improve the education attainment of women by both government and voluntary organizations. The changes in the policies and infrastructural supports on primary, secondary and higher education reflect the initiatives of the Government of India towards women education. This paper examined the trends in women education, the investments on education and infrastructural supports in India. The study revealed that there had been significant progress in the performance of women education revealed from female literacy levels and its change over time. It was also observed that the gaps between rural and urban female literacy rates are narrowing down. It was observed that rural poverty acts as a push factors for women’s education rather than as an obstacle to women’s education. The significant influence of urbanization on women’s education implied that urbanization had been playing a beneficial role in the attainment of women’s education in India. At the same time, the drop-out rate had a negative effect on women’s education. It revealed that that reduction of girl’s drop-out rates is necessary for achieving women’s education. The initiatives of the government through investment and infrastructure in developing education in India were examined. With regard to facilities in schools, it had improved significantly, but a lot more need to be done. In sum, the study revealed that there have been concerted efforts to encourage girls to attend schools, which would lead to higher literacy in future. The study also revealed that there are several infrastructural barriers to women education in India. The study calls for focused approach towards increasing women centred educational infrastructure so as to reduce the women drop-out rates and to improve female literacy levels in India. |
| Keywords: | Women Development; women education; women literacy; education infrastructure; Female literacy rate; women in India; Indian women; primary education; secondary education; higher education; India |
| JEL: | I2 A2 B54 |
| Date: | 2010–02–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:20680&r=hap |