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Capabilities vis-a-vis Happiness: Evidence from Pakistan

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  • HASAN, HAMID

Abstract

While research on happiness and capabilities has been growing rapidly, they seldom treated together for useful policy insights. Using a unique self-reported questionnaire about mental well being in the Pakistan Socio-Economic Survey (PSES), we measure Sen’s capabilities (freedom, functionings and efficiency) of “being achieved” and compare them with our happiness indicator of subjective well-being. It is shown that the PSES capability indicators of subjective well-being (SWB) provide distinctive information while together with the happiness indicator they capture additional insights about SWB. We show that capabilities are the most important and stable determinants of happiness. We rank policy units on the basis of capabilities and happiness, which turn out to be quite different from each other, and show that this provides useful policy insight.

Suggested Citation

  • Hasan, Hamid, 2013. "Capabilities vis-a-vis Happiness: Evidence from Pakistan," MPRA Paper 44892, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:44892
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    1. Muhammad Mansha & Asma Manzoor & Kiran Sarwar & Saad Ullah Hussain, 2022. "Impacts of Gender Inequality on Human Development Index in Asia: A Panel Data Fixed Effect Regression," iRASD Journal of Economics, International Research Alliance for Sustainable Development (iRASD), vol. 4(4), pages 594-606, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    subjective well being; happiness; capabilities; freedom; functioning; conversion efficiency;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D6 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics
    • I3 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty

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