Happiness and Economic Growth: Lessons from Developing Countries (Studies of Policy Reform) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0198723652 ISBN 13: 9780198723653

Verlag: OUP Oxford, 2014

Über diesen Titel

Críticas

This book is a great way to get across cuttingedge economic research into happiness. The contributions are all world class and come from prominent scholars in both the academy and relevant organisations...Each chapter is well written,with clearly articulated take-away points. Happiness and Economic Growth is important reading for economists working on happiness and subjective well-being, and for anyone interested in economic perspectives on happiness. (Mark Fabian, Economic Record)

the volume contains important evidence and contributes to the literature on SWB in developing countries (Cirenia Chávez Villegas, Journal of Human Development and Capabilities)

Reseña del editor

This volume, arising from a PSE-CEPREMAP-DIMeco conference, includes contributions by the some of the best-known researchers in happiness economics and development economics, including Richard Easterlin, who gave his name to the 'Easterlin paradox' that GDP growth does not improve happiness over the long run. Many chapters underline the difficulty of increasing well-being in developing countries, including China, even in the presence of sustained income growth. This is notably due to the importance of income comparisons to others, adaptation (so that we get used to higher income), and the growing inequality of income. In particular, rank in the local income distribution is shown to be important, creating a beggar-thy-neighbour effect in happiness. Wealth comparisons in China are exacerbated by the gender imbalance, as the competition for brides creates a striking phenomenon of conspicuous consumption on the housing market.

Policy has to be aware of these effects. This applies in particular to those who try to use self-reported subjective well-being in order to generate a 'social subjective poverty line', which is a key issue in developing countries.

However, the news is not only bad from the point of view of developing countries. One piece of good news is that GDP growth often seems to go hand-in-hand with lower happiness inequality, and thereby reduces the risk of extreme unhappiness.

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: OUP Oxford
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0198723652
• ISBN 13: 9780198723653
• Einband: Tapa dura
• Sprache: Englisch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 292
• Herausgeber: E.Clark Andrew, Senik Claudia