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on Economics of Happiness |
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Issue of 2025–12–01
three papers chosen by Viviana Di Giovinazzo, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca |
| By: | Carlos Álvarez-Nogal (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid); Leandro Prados de la Escosura (Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) |
| Abstract: | In early modern Spain, state capacity has been regarded as weak in the historical literature. In this paper, we assess the Spanish Monarchy’s ability to implement its policies through an output measure rather than an input—specifically, the distribution of the Bull of the Crusade. Furthermore, we explore how shifts in state capacity influenced subjective well-being. In a religious society like early modern Spain, spiritual satisfaction functions as a measure of subjective well-being. It was achieved by reducing the perceived time spent in Purgatory after death to atone for sins committed during life, which could be done by purchasing indulgences. Consuming the Bull of the Crusade, an affordable form of almsgiving, granted a plenary indulgence and, therefore, eliminated the need for penance in the afterlife for all sins committed prior to its purchase. Obtaining the bull reduced death anxiety and increased life satisfaction. Our measure of subjective well-being—the logarithmic ratio of bulls sold to the population, both normalised—indicates whether spiritual satisfaction was attained. Subjective well-being declined in the late 1570s and 1580s during years of severe financial crisis, in the 1640s during the Catalan Revolt, and collapsed during Spain’s War of Succession (1701-14) and its aftermath. Reductions in state capacity coincided with decreases in spiritual satisfaction, while demand for bulls remained relatively stable over time. Declines in state capacity appear to be the primary factor behind these decreases in spiritual satisfaction and, consequently, lower subjective well-being. |
| Keywords: | State Capacity, Subjective Well-Being, Spiritual Satisfaction, Early Modern Spain, Bulls |
| JEL: | E70 H27 I31 N33 Z12 |
| Date: | 2025–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hes:wpaper:0287 |
| By: | Ueda, Haruka |
| Abstract: | Well-being has become a key concept in the context of food studies, whereas food insecurity, as its deprivation, has become an issue that requires political commitment. These two academic traditions, although having been developed somewhat independently, can be connected by using Amartya Sen’s capability approach. In this study, we applied the Alkire-Foster multidimensional poverty/well-being measurement method, which was theoretically informed by the capability approach, to develop a new method for measuring the quality of dietary life in high-income societies. The data were obtained from a web-based questionnaire conducted with the Japanese population (n = 973). Our demonstration identified about 40% of the population as having high food capabilities to lead one's valuable dietary life, as well as about 20% of the population as living under food poverty. The results also showed that socioeconomic status (SES) was correlated with food poverty, but not with eating well, and that gender- and age-based inequalities in food capabilities were larger than SES ones. We also discussed fundamental issues relevant to this measurement, including the lack of social consensus about the quality of dietary life, the complex relationship between dietary. |
| Keywords: | Food Security and Poverty |
| Date: | 2024–08–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:iaae24:344259 |
| By: | Soler, Víctor |
| Abstract: | This study analyzes the influence of various factors on the probability of being a teleworker, experiencing depression, maintaining a satisfactory work–family balance, and the overall well-being of Finnish workers. The analysis is based on data from the 2021 European Working Conditions Survey (EWCS) and uses cross-sectional models. Specifically, probit models are estimated for discrete dependent variables and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) models for continuous dependent variables. These models aim to explain individuals’ choices between two possible alternatives, coded as 1 and 0, according to a set of exogenous variables. The results show that the probability of being a teleworker is mainly determined by having higher education and being male. In the case of depression, the most relevant factors are living in a rural area and having a partial teleworking arrangement. Regarding work–family balance, full telework and university education significantly increase the likelihood of reporting a good work–life balance. Finally, workers’ well-being is primarily determined by age (in logarithms) and by being young, suggesting a non-linear relationship between age and well-being. |
| Keywords: | telework; depression; work-life balance; home-work conflict; Probit; Finland. |
| JEL: | J22 J28 J31 O52 |
| Date: | 2025–11–24 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:126985 |