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Local happiness and firm behavior: Do firms in happy places invest more?

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  • Chuluun, Tuugi
  • Graham, Carol

Abstract

We examine a previously unexplored relationship between local happiness and firm investment. We looked at investment in general and R&D intensity in particular, as the relatively intangible nature of the latter may make it more subject to the effects of sentiment and affect. We find that average local happiness is positively correlated with both R&D intensity and firm investment, after controlling for firm and local area characteristics. This positive relationship may be due to the optimism and longer term perspectives that are typically associated with higher levels of life satisfaction/happiness. We also look at inequality in happiness levels and find that the effect of local happiness is stronger in places with more equal happiness distributions. Younger firms’ investment behavior is also more strongly correlated with local happiness levels. The results remain robust to a battery of robustness tests including the use of residual and hedonic measures of happiness, analysis of a sample of relocated firms, and a test for reverse causality.

Suggested Citation

  • Chuluun, Tuugi & Graham, Carol, 2016. "Local happiness and firm behavior: Do firms in happy places invest more?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 41-56.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:125:y:2016:i:c:p:41-56
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2016.01.014
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    2. Karen Maguire & John V. Winters, 2017. "Satisfaction and Self-Employment: Do Women Benefit More from Being Their Own Boss?," Economics Working Paper Series 1713, Oklahoma State University, Department of Economics and Legal Studies in Business.
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    6. Carol Graham & Julia Ruiz Pozuelo, 2017. "Happiness, stress, and age: how the U curve varies across people and places," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 30(1), pages 225-264, January.
    7. Wang, Yusiyu, 2019. "Regulation, protest, and spatial economics," Other publications TiSEM 809d31ac-b5a7-4e6c-b2eb-9, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
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    9. Dukangqi Li & Weitao Shen, 2022. "Regional Happiness and Corporate Green Innovation: A Financing Constraints Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-25, February.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Happiness; Subjective well-being; Sentiment; Location; R&D; Investment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G02 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Behavioral Finance: Underlying Principles
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • D69 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Other

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