IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/glopol/v17y2026i2p302-325.html

Sustainable Happiness or Exploitative Happiness? A Global Justice Perspective on Cross‐Border Spillover Effects

Author

Listed:
  • Chong‐Wen Chen

Abstract

National happiness levels are often attributed to domestic environmental and socioeconomic conditions or policies, yet how one country's pursuit of happiness affects others through global trade remains underexplored. This study adopts a global justice lens to examine negative spillover effects—harmful environmental and social impacts that countries impose on others via transnational supply chains and production networks. Using cross‐sectional global data for 2019 and 2024, the analyses reveal a growing concentration of spillovers, particularly from advanced economies toward more developing ones. The findings show that higher national happiness scores are frequently accompanied by greater negative spillovers, which also indirectly reduce other countries' happiness by amplifying air pollution (PM2.5). This pattern reflects a global trend of “exploitative happiness” rather than “sustainable happiness.” The study highlights the limitations of current governance mechanisms in managing cross‐border supply chains and calls for transparent data sharing, robust transnational regulatory frameworks, and transformative shifts in public awareness and degrowth‐oriented lifestyles to achieve forms of happiness that do not exploit other people or the environment.

Suggested Citation

  • Chong‐Wen Chen, 2026. "Sustainable Happiness or Exploitative Happiness? A Global Justice Perspective on Cross‐Border Spillover Effects," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 17(2), pages 302-325, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:17:y:2026:i:2:p:302-325
    DOI: 10.1111/1758-5899.70127
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/1758-5899.70127
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/1758-5899.70127?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:glopol:v:17:y:2026:i:2:p:302-325. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/lsepsuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.