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Frustrated Freedom: The Effects of Agency and Wealth on Wellbeing in Rural Mozambique

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  • Victor, Bart
  • Fischer, Edward F.
  • Cooil, Bruce
  • Vergara, Alfredo
  • Mukolo, Abraham
  • Blevins, Meridith

Abstract

In the capability approach to poverty, wellbeing is threatened by both deficits of wealth and deficits of agency. Sen describes that “unfreedom,” or low levels of agency, will suppress the wellbeing effects of higher levels of wealth. We introduce another condition, “frustrated freedom,” in which higher levels of agency belief can heighten the poverty effects of low levels of wealth. Presenting data from a study of female heads of household in rural Mozambique, we find that agency belief moderates the relationship between wealth and wellbeing, uncovering evidence of frustrated freedom.

Suggested Citation

  • Victor, Bart & Fischer, Edward F. & Cooil, Bruce & Vergara, Alfredo & Mukolo, Abraham & Blevins, Meridith, 2013. "Frustrated Freedom: The Effects of Agency and Wealth on Wellbeing in Rural Mozambique," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 30-41.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:wdevel:v:47:y:2013:i:c:p:30-41
    DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2013.02.005
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    2. Hojman, Daniel A. & Miranda, Álvaro, 2018. "Agency, Human Dignity, and Subjective Well-being," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 101(C), pages 1-15.
    3. Federica Cavazzoni & Alec Fiorini & Guido Veronese, 2022. "How Do We Assess How Agentic We Are? A Literature Review of Existing Instruments to Evaluate and Measure Individuals' Agency," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 159(3), pages 1125-1153, February.
    4. Ensor, Jonathan & Tuhkanen, Heidi & Boyland, Michael & Salamanca, Albert & Johnson, Karlee & Thomalla, Frank & Lim Mangada, Ladylyn, 2021. "Redistributing resilience? Deliberate transformation and political capabilities in post-Haiyan Tacloban," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    5. Michael Joseph D’Italia & Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn, 2025. "Constructing General Human Agency Indicators (GHAIs) and a General Personal Agency Scale (GPAS)," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 176(1), pages 337-411, January.
    6. Giulia Ferrari, 2022. "What is wellbeing for rural South African women? Textual analysis of focus group discussion transcripts and implications for programme design and evaluation," Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-15, December.
    7. Paula Carrasco & Rodrigo Ceni & Ivonne Perazzo & Gonzalo Salas, 2019. "Are not any silver in the cloud? Subjective well-being among deprived young people," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 19-09, Instituto de Economía - IECON.
    8. Mukolo, Abraham & Cooil, Bruce & Victor, Bart, 2015. "The effects of utility evaluations, biomedical knowledge and modernization on intention to exclusively use biomedical health facilities among rural households in Mozambique," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 225-233.
    9. Bart Victor & Meridith Blevins & Ann F Green & Elisée Ndatimana & Lázaro González-Calvo & Edward F Fischer & Alfredo E Vergara & Sten H Vermund & Omo Olupona & Troy D Moon, 2014. "Multidimensional Poverty in Rural Mozambique: A New Metric for Evaluating Public Health Interventions," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(9), pages 1-10, September.
    10. Kopper, Moisés, 2019. "A politics of hope: The making of Brazil's post-neoliberal new middle class," MPIfG Discussion Paper 19/7, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    11. Daniel Hojman & Alvaro Miranda, 2015. "Agency, Human Dignity and Subjective Well-Being," Working Papers wp398, University of Chile, Department of Economics.
    12. Strong, Michael & Silva, Julie A., 2021. "‘We would like this place to be a town’: The benefits and challenges of rural development near protected areas," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 24(C).

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