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Financial distress and happiness of employees in times of economic crisis

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  • E. Arampatzi
  • M. J. Burger
  • R. Veenhoven

Abstract

Using data for 28 European countries for the period 2008 to 2012, we examine whether employed individuals are affected by the economic crisis. We provide robust evidence that unfavourable macroeconomic conditions are negatively associated with the life satisfaction of employees. In addition, we find that higher levels of regional unemployment and inflation are predominantly associated with lower levels of life satisfaction for employees who are in a bad financial situation or who expect that their future financial situation will be worse. By contrast, employed people who do well financially and who have good prospects are not affected by the crisis.

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  • E. Arampatzi & M. J. Burger & R. Veenhoven, 2015. "Financial distress and happiness of employees in times of economic crisis," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 173-179, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:22:y:2015:i:3:p:173-179
    DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2014.931916
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    4. Bruno S. Frey & Simon Luechinger & Alois Stutzer, "undated". "Valuing Public Goods: The Life Satisfaction Approach," IEW - Working Papers 184, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - University of Zurich.
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    7. Bruno Frey & Simon Luechinger & Alois Stutzer, 2009. "The life satisfaction approach to valuing public goods: The case of terrorism," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 138(3), pages 317-345, March.
    8. Green, Francis, 2011. "Unpacking the misery multiplier: How employability modifies the impacts of unemployment and job insecurity on life satisfaction and mental health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 265-276, March.
    9. Blanchflower, David G & Oswald, Andrew J, 1994. "Estimating a Wage Curve for Britain: 1973-90," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 104(426), pages 1025-1043, September.
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    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Financial Distress and Happiness of Employees in Times of Economic Crisis
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2014-11-25 17:30:13

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    Cited by:

    1. Burlinson, Andrew & Giulietti, Monica & Law, Cherry & Liu, Hui-Hsuan, 2021. "Fuel poverty and financial distress," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Lenka Mynaříková & Vít Pošta, 2023. "The Effect of Consumer Confidence and Subjective Well-being on Consumers’ Spending Behavior," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 429-453, February.
    3. Jehane Simona-Moussa & Laura Ravazzini, 2019. "From One Recession to Another: Longitudinal Impacts on the Quality of Life of Vulnerable Groups," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 142(3), pages 1129-1152, April.
    4. Efstratia Arampatzi & Martijn Burger & Spyridon Stavropoulos & Louis Tay, 2020. "The Role of Positive Expectations for Resilience to Adverse Events: Subjective Well-Being Before, During and After the Greek Bailout Referendum," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(3), pages 965-995, March.
    5. Robson Morgan & Kelsey J. O’Connor, 2022. "Labor Market Policy and Subjective Well-Being During the Great Recession," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 391-422, February.
    6. Cassondra Batz & Scott Parrigon & Louis Tay, 2016. "The Impact of Scale Transformations on National Subjective Well-Being Scores," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 129(1), pages 13-27, October.
    7. Polyzos, Stathis & Samitas, Aristeidis & Katsaiti, Marina-Selini, 2020. "Who is unhappy for Brexit? A machine-learning, agent-based study on financial instability," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    8. Efstratia Arampatzi & Martijn Burger & Elena Ianchovichina & Tina Röhricht & Ruut Veenhoven, 2018. "Unhappy Development: Dissatisfaction With Life on the Eve of the Arab Spring," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 64(s1), pages 80-113, October.
    9. Emma Pleeging & Martijn Burger & Job Exel, 2021. "Hope Mediates the Relation between Income and Subjective Well-Being," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 22(5), pages 2075-2102, June.
    10. Knut Halvorsen, 2016. "Economic, Financial, and Political Crisis and Well-Being in the PIGS-Countries," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(4), pages 21582440166, December.
    11. Beatriz Rodríguez-Sánchez & Luz María Peña-Longobardo & Juan Oliva-Moreno, 2022. "The employment situation of people living with HIV: a closer look at the effects of the 2008 economic crisis," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(3), pages 485-497, April.
    12. Burger,Martijn & Hendriks,Martijn & Ianchovichina,Elena, 2022. "Anatomy of Brazil’s Subjective Well-Being : A Tale of Growing Discontent and Polarization in the 2010s," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9924, The World Bank.
    13. Ngamaba, Kayonda Hubert & Armitage, Christopher & Panagioti, Maria & Hodkinson, Alexander, 2020. "How closely related are financial satisfaction and subjective well-being? Systematic review and meta-analysis," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    14. Arjen Schepen & Martijn J. Burger, 2022. "Professional Financial Advice and Subjective Well-Being," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(5), pages 2967-3004, October.
    15. Robson Morgan & Fei Wang, 2019. "Well-Being in Transition: Life Satisfaction in Urban China from 2002 to 2012," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(8), pages 2609-2629, December.

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    JEL classification:

    • I00 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - General - - - General
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General

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