The great happiness moderation

"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 tha...

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Main Authors: Clark, Andrew E., Flèche, Sarah, Senik, Claudia
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Berlin 2012
DIW
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19132648124919508209-The-great-happiness-moderation.htm
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author Clark, Andrew E.
Flèche, Sarah
Senik, Claudia
author_facet Clark, Andrew E.
Flèche, Sarah
Senik, Claudia
collection Library items
description "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."
format TEXT
geographic developed countries
id 19132648124919508209_7dc52d4361c84ef8bd89647ce4785d63
institution ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
is_hierarchy_id 19132648124919508209_7dc52d4361c84ef8bd89647ce4785d63
is_hierarchy_title The great happiness moderation
language English
physical 51 p.
Digital
publishDate 2012
publisher Berlin
DIW
spellingShingle Clark, Andrew E.
Flèche, Sarah
Senik, Claudia
economic growth
income
statistics
well being
social inequality
The great happiness moderation
thumbnail https://www.labourline.org/Image_prev.jpg?Archive=111616893989
title The great happiness moderation
topic economic growth
income
statistics
well being
social inequality
url https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19132648124919508209-The-great-happiness-moderation.htm