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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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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Zhuo, Jie & Harrigan, Nicholas & Utomo, Ariane & Touch, Van & Finlayson, Caitlin & McGregor, Andrew & McKinnon, Katharine & Cook, Brian, 2025. "Settlement, inequality and wellbeing: Settled social structures and the creation of inequality and low life satisfaction in Northwest Cambodia," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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).
    8. 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.
    9. 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.
    10. 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.
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