COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING OF LATVIA’S INHABITANTS IN THE CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE BALTIC STATES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17770/lner2013vol1.5.1157Keywords:
Subjective indicators, life satisfaction, happiness, territorial developmentAbstract
In the world, during the past 10 years, when evaluating development of a particular area, there has been a tendency to take into consideration those inhabitants’ subjective appraisal and attitude to the living conditions who live in this area, more often these indicators are the general life satisfaction and feeling of happiness. Analysing Latvia’s inhabitants’ subjective attitude author concludes that inhabitants of Latvia are very pessimistic in assessing their lives in this country. As surveys indicate, the economic factors have an important influence on people’s subjective satisfaction. The problem of the research is that during the last two years, there has been a tendency to improvement of economic indicators in Latvia, and also in Lithuania and Estonia, but when comparing the closest neighbours, the Latvian inhabitants’ subjective satisfaction with life is decreasing, but in Lithuania and Estonia it is increasing together with improvement of the economic situation. As a result, the author came to a conclusion that together with changes of the GDP indicator value, development of people’s subjective appraisal greatly depends on such economic indicators as income inequality, unemployment, inflation and financial assets.Downloads
References
LAYARD R. Happiness: Lessons From a New Science. United States of America: Penguin Books Ltd, 2005. pp. 310.
EASTERLIN, R.A. Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence. In Nations and Households in Economic Growth. Ed. P.A.David & M.W.Reder. New York: Academic Press, 1974, p. 89-125.
EASTERLIN, R.A, ANGELESCU, L. Modern Economic Growth and Quality of Life: Cross-Sectional and Time Series Evidence. In Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research. Ed. K.C.Land. New York and London: Springer, 2012, p. 113-136.
AHUVIA, A.C., FRIEDMAN, D.C. Income, consumption, and subjective well-being: Toward a composite makromarketing model. Journal of Macromarketing. 1998. Nr. 18, p. 153-168.
ALESINA, A., DI TELLA, R., MACCULLOCH, R. Inequality and happiness: are Europeans and Americans different? Journal of Public Economics. 2004. Nr. 88, p. 2009–2042.
BJORNSKOV, C., GUPTA, N. D., PEDERSEN, P. J. Analysing trends in subjective well-being in 15 European countries 1973–2002. Journal of Happiness Studies. 2008. Nr. 9, p. 317–330.
BLANCHFLOWER, D.G., OSWALD, A.J. Well-being over time in Britain and the USA. Journal of Public Economics. 2000. Nr. 88 (2004), p. 1359–1386.
DEATON, A. Income, Health, and Well-Being around the World: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll. Journal of Economic Perspectives. 2008. Nr. 2 (22), p. 53–72.
DEGUTIS, M., URBONAVIČIUS, S., GAIŽUTIS, A. Relation Between GDP and Life Satisfaction in the European Union. Ekonomika. 2010. Vol. 89 (1), p. 9–21.
DIENER, E., BISWAS-DIENER, R. Will Money Increase Subjective Well-Being? A Literature Review and Guide to Needed Research. Social Indicators Research. 2002. Nr. 57, p. 119–169.
DI TELLA, R., MACCULLOCH, R.J., OSWALD, A.J. Preferences over Inflation and unemployment: Evidence from Surveys of Happiness. The American Economic Review. 2001. Nr. 91 (1), p. 335–341.
DI TELLA, R., MACCULLOCH, R.J, OSWALD, A.J. The macroeconomics of happiness. The Review of Economics and Statistics. 2003. Nr. 85 (4), p. 809–827.
DOLAN, P., PEASGOOD, T., WHITE, M. Do we really know what makes us happy? A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being. Journal of Economic Psychology. 2008. Nr. 29, p. 94–122.
EASTERLIN, R.A. Will raising the incomes of all increase the happiness of all? Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 1995. Nr. 27, p. 35–47.
HAGERTY, M., VEENHOVEN, R. Wealth and Happiness Revisited – Growing National Income Does Go With Greater Happiness. Social Indicators Research. 2003. Nr. 64, p. 1–27.
HAN, C.K., HONG, S.I. Assets and Life Satisfaction Patterns Among Korean Older Adults: Latent Class Analysis. Social Indicators Research. 2011. Nr. 110, p. 225–240.
KAHNEMAN, D., DEATON, A. High Income Improves Evaluation of Life but not Emotional Well-being. Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences of the USA. 2010. Nr. 38(107), p. 1–5.
LELKES, O. Tasting Freedom: Happiness, Religion and Economic Transition. Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. 2006. Nr. 59 (2), p. 173–194.
LUCAS, R.E., CLARK, A.E., GEORGELLIS, Y., DIENER, E. Unemployment alters the set point for life satisfaction. Psychological Science. 2004. Nr. 15, p. 8–13.
MORAWETZ, D. Income distribution and self-rated happiness: Some empirical evidence. The Economic Journal. 1977. Nr. 87, p. 511–522.
SIRGY, M.J. Effects of Income and Wealth on Subjective QOL. The Psychology of Quality of Life: Hedonic Well-Being, Life Satisfaction, and Eudemonia. Social Indicators Research Series. 2012. Nr. 50, p. 81–94.
ROJAS, M. Happiness, Income, and Beyond. Applied Research Quality Life. 2011. Nr. 6, p. 265-276.
VEENHOVEN, R., HAGERTY, M. Rising Happiness in Nations 1946-2001: a Reply to Easterlin. Social Indicators Research. 2006. Nr. 79, p. 421–436.
Allianz Global Wealth Report [tiešsaiste]. Allianz SE, Economic Research & Corporate Development [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: https://www.allianz.com/media/economic_research/publications/specials/en/GWR2012e.pdf
BOHNKE, P. First European Quality of Life Survey: Life satisfaction, happiness and sense of belonging 2005. [tiešsaiste]. European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/pubdocs/2005/91/en/1/ef0591en.pdf
Eurostat database [tiešsaiste] [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tec00114 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tec00115 http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=une_rt_q&lang=en http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&language=en&pcode=tec00118&tableSelection=1&footnotes=yes&labeling=labels&plugin=1 http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&init=1&language=en&pcode=tessi190&plugin=0
HEADEY, B., MUFFELS, R., WOODEN, M. Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness… Or Does It? A Reconsideration Based on the Combined Effects of Wealth, Income and Consumption. IZA discussion papers Nr. 1218 [tiešsaiste]. Institute for the study of labor [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ftp.iza.org/dp1218.pdf
Human Development Report. Sustainability and Equity: A Better Equity for All. [tiešsaiste]. United Nations Development Programme. New York: Palgrave Macmillan Houndmills, 2011 [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_2011_EN_Complete.pdf
INGLEHART, R., FOA, R., PETERSON, C., WELZEL, C. Development, Freedom, and Rising Happiness: A Global Perspective (1981-2007) [tiešsaiste]. The World Values Survey, Association for Psychological Science [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs/articles/folder_published/article_base_122/files/RisingHappinessPPS.pdf
Legatum Prosperity Index 2011 [tiešsaiste] [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://webapi.prosperity.com/download/pdf/Country_FactSheets_Web_2012.pdf
Public Opinion in the European Union”, Standard Eurobarometer 70, Autumn2008, TNS Opinion & Social [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb70/eb70_full_en.pdf
Public Opinion in the European Union. National Report. Latvia. Standard Eurobarometer 72, Autumn2009, TNS Opinion & Social [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer. [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb72/eb72_lv_lv_nat.pdf
Public Opinion in the European Union. Standard Eurobarometer 67, Spring 2007, TNS Opinion & Social [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb67/eb67_en.pdf
Public Opinion in the European Union. Standard Eurobarometer 68, Autumn2007, TNS Opinion & Social [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb68/eb_68_en.pdf
Public Opinion in the European Union. Standard Eurobarometer 73. Table of Results, May 2010 [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb73/eb73_anx_full.pdf
Public Opinion in the European Union. Standard Eurobarometer 74, Autumn2010, TNS Opinion & Social [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb74/eb74_publ_en.pdf
RIMGAILAITE, R. Igaunijas inflācija. Misija – meklējam vainīgo! [tiešsaiste] [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://www.makroekonomika.lv/igaunijas-inflacija-misija-meklejam-vainigo
SANFEY, P., TEKSOZ, U. Life in transition: are people happier after a decade and a half? [tiešsaiste] The International Association for Research in Income and Wealth [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://www.iariw.org/papers/2008/sanfey.pdf
Social Climate”, Special Eurobarometer 315 / Wave EB71.2 [tiešsaiste]. European Opinion Research Group [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_315_en.pdf
Social Climate. Special Eurobarometer 370 / Wave EB75.4 – TNS opinion & social [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_370_en.pdf
STEVENSON, B., WOLFERS, J. Economic Growth and Subjective Well-Being: Reassessing the Easterlin Paradox [tiešsaiste]. National Bureau of Economic research [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://www.nber.org/papers/w14282.pdf?new_window=1
The European Union and its Citizens. Standard Eurobarometer 69, Spring 2008, TNS Opinion & Social. [tiešsaiste]. Eurobarometer [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb69/eb69_part2_en.pdf
VEENHOVEN, R. Happiness in Nations. World Database of Happiness [tiešsaiste]. Erasmus University Rotterdam [atsauce 2013.g. 15.febr.]. Pieejas veids: http://www1.eur.nl/fsw/happiness/index.html
