The Great Happiness Moderation

Andrew Clark, Sarah Flèche and Claudia Senik ()
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Claudia Senik: PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PSE - Paris-Jourdan Sciences Economiques - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - INRA - Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UP4 - Université Paris-Sorbonne

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Abstract: This paper shows that within-country happiness inequality has fallen in the majority of countries that have experienced positive income growth over the last forty years, in particular in developed countries. This new stylized fact comes as an addition to the Easterlin paradox, which states that the time trend in average happiness is flat during episodes of long-run income growth. This mean-preserving declining spread in happiness comes about via falls in both the share of individuals who declare low and high levels of happiness. Rising income inequality moderates the fall in happiness inequality, and may even reverse it after some point, for example in the US starting in the 1990s. Hence, if raising the income of all does not raise the happiness of all, it will at least harmonize the happiness of all, providing that income inequality does not grow too much. Behind the veil of ignorance, lower happiness inequality would certainly be considered as attractive by risk-averse individuals.

Keywords: Happiness; Inequality; Economic growth; Development; Easterlin paradox; Bonheur; Bien-être subjectif; Croissance; Développement; Inégalités; Easterlin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012-06
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00707290v2
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (33)

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Great Happiness Moderation (2014)
Working Paper: The Great Happiness Moderation (2014)
Working Paper: The Great Happiness Moderation (2012)
Working Paper: The Great Happiness Moderation (2012)
Working Paper: The Great Happiness Moderation (2012)
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