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What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?

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Author Info
Bruno Frey ()
Alois Stutzer

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Abstract

Over the past few years, there has been a steadily increasing interest on the part of economists in happiness research. We argue that reported subjective well-being is a satisfactory empirical approximation to individual utility and that happiness research is able to contribute important insights for economics. We report how the economic variables income, unemployment and inflation affect happiness as well as how institutional factors, in particular the type of democracy and the extent of government decentralization, systematically influence how satisfied individuals are with their life. We discuss some of the consequences for economic policy and for economic theory.

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Paper provided by CESifo GmbH in its series CESifo Working Paper Series with number CESifo Working Paper No. 503.

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Date of creation: 2001
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Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_503

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Keywords: Economics economic welfare subjective well-being utility

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
A10 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - General
D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - General Welfare

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References listed on IDEAS
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