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Enhancing Well-Being at Population Level: A Case Study on Romania

Author

Listed:
  • Vlad Gabriel Cârstea

    (Department of Commerce, Economic Integration and Business Administration, Romanian-American University, 012101 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Ana Maria Mihaela Iordache

    (Department of Informatics, Statistics and Mathematics, Romanian-American University, 012101 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Alexandru Ionescu

    (Department of Commerce, Economic Integration and Business Administration, Romanian-American University, 012101 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Nela Ramona Grigore

    (Department of Commerce, Economic Integration and Business Administration, Romanian-American University, 012101 Bucharest, Romania)

  • Cristina Coculescu

    (Department of Informatics, Statistics and Mathematics, Romanian-American University, 012101 Bucharest, Romania)

Abstract

The concept of well-being is multifaceted, influenced by a range of factors, including economic, social, perceptual, and personal, and varies considerably between individuals, countries, and continents. The objective of this research paper is to achieve an efficient grouping of countries according to several indicators that measure overall happiness. The indicators utilized in this study, derived from the World Happiness Report, are as follows: Life Ladder, Log GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per capita, Social Support, Healthy Life Expectancy at Birth, Freedom to Make Life Choices, Generosity, Perceptions of Corruption, Positive Affect, and Negative Affect. Consequently, following the identification, filtering, and collection of data on the countries in the study, cluster analysis, discriminant analysis, and neural network training were employed to obtain a classification of the countries into heterogeneous groups with a minimum error rate. Finally, for Romania, scenarios and policies were developed to facilitate ascent from the initial class to a class with a superior level of well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Vlad Gabriel Cârstea & Ana Maria Mihaela Iordache & Alexandru Ionescu & Nela Ramona Grigore & Cristina Coculescu, 2024. "Enhancing Well-Being at Population Level: A Case Study on Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-26, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:23:p:10497-:d:1533138
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