Subjective Well-Being Capabilities: Bridging the Gap Between the Capability Approach and Subjective Well-Being Research

Martin Binder

Journal of Happiness Studies, 2014, vol. 15, issue 5, 1197-1217

Abstract: As a result of the disenchantment with traditional income-based measures of welfare, alternative welfare measures have gained increasing attention in recent years. Two of the most prominent measures of well-being come from subjective well-being research and the (objective) capability approach. Despite their promising features, both approaches have a number of weaknesses when considered on their own. This paper sets out to examine to what extent a fusion between both approaches can overcome the weaknesses of both individual approaches. It uses features of the capability framework to enrich what is basically a subjective well-being perspective. Key drawbacks of normative subjective well-being views can be overcome by focussing welfare assessments on “Subjective Well-being Capabilities”, i.e. focussing on the substantive opportunities of individuals to pursue and achieve happiness. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Keywords: Subjective well-being; Capability approach; Policy-making; Normative economics (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

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Working Paper: Subjective Well-being Capabilities: Bridging the Gap between the Capability Approach and Subjective Well-Being Research (2013)
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DOI: 10.1007/s10902-013-9471-6

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