Explaining happiness trends in Europe

Richard Easterlin and Kelsey J. O’Connor
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Kelsey J. O’Connor: d STATEC Research (Luxembourg National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies), Luxembourg-Kirchberg L-1468, Luxembourg;; e School of Economics, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2092, South Africa
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Kelsey J. O'Connor

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2022, vol. 119, issue 37, e2210639119

Abstract: Over the past 5 decades, happiness has emerged as a subject of social science research and a potential goal of public policy. But how can a country’s happiness be increased? On this, there is a conflict between a number of policy alternatives—promote economic growth, increase social capital, improve the environment, and expand welfare state programs. Each of these has point-of-time (cross-section) evidence supporting its claim, but there are very few long-term, time-series studies. This article presents newly available time-series evidence that supports the importance of welfare state policies.

Keywords: economic growth; happiness; life satisfaction; welfare programs; social capital (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Related works:
Working Paper: Explaining Happiness Trends in Europe (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nas:journl:v:119:y:2022:p:e2210639119

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