What Buys Happiness? Analyzing Trends in Subjective Well-Being in 15 European Countries, 1973-2002
نویسندگان
چکیده
What Buys Happiness? Analyzing Trends in Subjective Well-Being in 15 European Countries, 1973-2002 Trends in life satisfaction are examined across 15 European countries employing a modified version of Kendall’s Tau. Analyses show that GDP growth relative to growth in the preceding period is a significant determinant of the trends; the same holds for the growth in life expectancy while the contemporaneous growth in the current account balance exerts a positive influence. Relative unemployment growth becomes significant when interacted with a measure of the long-run political ideology of the median voter. The effects of relative GDP growth vary with the political ideology variable. JEL Classification: I31
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