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on Economics of Happiness |
|
Issue of 2016‒11‒06
three papers chosen by |
| By: | Philipp Biermann (University of Oldenburg, Department of Economics) |
| Abstract: | This paper uses panel data on life satisfaction of about 40,000 individuals in Germany from 1994 to 2013 to analyze the relationship of subjective well-being and several measures of fuel poverty. We study fuel poverty and its effects on life satisfaction in terms of incidence, intensity and in comparison to income poverty. We find a negative and significant effect of fuel poverty and subjective well-being. The effects are comparable in magnitude to those of other important factors of life satisfaction. The impact we find is beyond the effect of mere income poverty. We classify measures of fuel poverty into several types and find that there is a difference with respect to the well-being effects depending on the type of measure. Our findings confirm the argument of the recent literature that fuel poverty is an important issue and should be on the agenda of policy makers. |
| Keywords: | fuel poverty; consumer welfare; subjective well-being; Germany |
| JEL: | I3 D12 C2 Q4 |
| Date: | 2016–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:old:dpaper:395&r=hap |
| By: | Xavier Jara; Erik Schokkaert |
| Abstract: | Most studies using microsimulation techniques have considered the effect of potential reforms, but only regarding income distribution. However, it has become increasingly recognised, both at the academic and political level, that focusing purely on income provides a limited picture of social progress. We illustrate how ex-ante policy evaluation can be performed in terms of richer concepts of individual well-being, such as subjective life satisfaction and equivalent incomes. Our analysis makes use of EUROMOD, the EU-wide tax-benefit microsimulation model, along with 2013 EU-SILC data for Sweden, which for the first time provides information on subjective well-being. Our results show that the effect of potential reforms varies widely depending on the well-being concept used in the evaluation. We discuss the normative questions that are raised by this finding. |
| Date: | 2016 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ete:ceswps:553932&r=hap |
| By: | Monica Răileanu Szeles (Transilvania University of Brasov and Institute for Economic Forecasting, Romanian Academy) |
| Abstract: | In various fields of research self-perceived health has been defined and analyzed as a significant measure of well-being and also as a predictor of health status. This paper examines the economic determinants of self-perceived health in the EU-27 area in order to find whether a common set of governmental policies could improve the self-perceived health and whether this positive effect would remain positive and significant on other measures of well-being as well as across the quintiles of income distribution. In subsidiary, the effect of economic growth on well-being is also examined. A number of panel regression models using the first-difference GMM estimator are applied to comparatively analyze self-perceived health together with other measures of health status and well-being, based on Eurostat data from 2003 to 2012. The empirical results of the paper could provide useful insights for the European health policy and other common actions and policies in the field of economic growth and well-being. |
| Keywords: | self-perceived health, economic growth, well-being. |
| JEL: | I15 I31 |
| Date: | 2016–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rjr:wpiecf:161002&r=hap |