Showing papers by "Richard A. Easterlin published in 2010"
TL;DR: Evidence is presented that the long term nil relationship between happiness and income holds also for a number of developing countries, the eastern European countries transitioning from socialism to capitalism, and an even wider sample of developed countries than previously studied, and that in the short-term in all three groups of countries, Happiness and income go together.
Abstract: The striking thing about the happiness–income paradox is that over the long-term —usually a period of 10 y or more—happiness does not increase as a country's income rises. Heretofore the evidence for this was limited to developed countries. This article presents evidence that the long term nil relationship between happiness and income holds also for a number of developing countries, the eastern European countries transitioning from socialism to capitalism, and an even wider sample of developed countries than previously studied. It also finds that in the short-term in all three groups of countries, happiness and income go together, i.e., happiness tends to fall in economic contractions and rise in expansions. Recent critiques of the paradox, claiming the time series relationship between happiness and income is positive, are the result either of a statistical artifact or a confusion of the short-term relationship with the long-term one.
875 citations
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TL;DR: The second in a series of books published with the IZA, this volume presents Richard Easterlin's outstanding research on the analysis of subjective well-being, and on the relationship between demographic developments and economic outcomes as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The second in a series of books published with the IZA, this volume presents Richard Easterlin's outstanding research on the analysis of subjective well-being, and on the relationship between demographic developments and economic outcomes. In both fields, his work has laid the foundations for enlarging the scope of traditional economic analysis and has increased our understanding of behaviour in several important domains, such as fertility choices, labour market behaviour, and the determinants of individual well-being. In various seminal contributions, Easterlin has demonstrated the importance of material aspirations and relative economic status for human behaviour. This book is a collection of 11 of his key papers, revised and edited to make a cohesive book. New material includes an Introduction from the editors, two section Introductions from Easterlin, and an Epilogue from Easterlin.
68 citations
TL;DR: The Sarkozy Report as discussed by the authors is a study by the French President on better ways to measure the level and progress of societal well-being than conventional economic indicators such as GDP, and the authors argue that the Sarkozy report may portend a sea-change in the way economists think about the benefits of economic growth.
Abstract: The Sarkozy Report is a study commissioned by the French President on better ways to measure the level and progress of societal well-being than conventional economic indicators such as GDP. Despite being prepared by prominent economists—the commission was led by Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen, and Jean-Paul Fitoussi—the Report rejects reliance on “production-oriented” measures of progress in favor of a broader array of quality-of-life indicators, some of them subjective, and measures of the sustainability of well-being into the future. These multiple dimensions of well-being, it argues, should be used in policy decisions and welfare evaluations. The views expressed in the Report may portend a sea-change in the way economists think about the benefits of economic growth.
35 citations
Posted Content•
TL;DR: The Sarkozy Report as mentioned in this paper is a study by the French President on better ways to measure the level and progress of societal well-being than conventional economic indicators such as GDP, and the authors argue that the Sarkozy report may portend a sea-change in the way economists think about the benefits of economic growth.
Abstract: The Sarkozy Report is a study commissioned by the French President on better ways to measure the level and progress of societal well-being than conventional economic indicators such as GDP. Despite being prepared by prominent economists—the commission was led by Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen, and Jean-Paul Fitoussi—the Report rejects reliance on “production-oriented” measures of progress in favor of a broader array of quality-of-life indicators, some of them subjective, and measures of the sustainability of well-being into the future. These multiple dimensions of well-being, it argues, should be used in policy decisions and welfare evaluations. The views expressed in the Report may portend a sea-change in the way economists think about the benefits of economic growth.
7 citations