Agency, Human Dignity and Subjective Well-Being

Daniel Hojman and Alvaro Miranda

Working Papers from University of Chile, Department of Economics

Abstract: In the last decades, our understanding of human well-being and development has shifted from a traditional focus on income and consumption towards a richer multidimensional approach. This shift has been strongly influenced by a body of research in subjective well-being (SWB) and the capabilities approach, which emphasizes the role of freedom and opportunities on well-being. This paper explores the relationship between different measures of subjective well-being and two †hidden dimensions†of development, agency and discrimination. Using statistical techniques that allow to isolate personal traits that could affect both SWB and capabilities perceptions, we document a strong relationship between life satisfaction and agency, comparable to the effect of income variables. Discrimination perceptions seem to affect more job satisfaction than life satisfaction for those who work.

Pages: 30 pages
Date: 2015-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap and nep-hpe
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