Does income matter in the happiness-corruption relationship?

2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 469-490 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mak Arvin ◽  
Byron Lew

Purpose – Empirical evidence on the relation between happiness (life satisfaction) and corruption is barely perceptible in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to closing this gap by presenting some estimates using a large cross-section of countries over the period 1996-2010. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical model allows both corruption and per capita income to enter as arguments of a happiness “production function”. The correlation between happiness and corruption is presumed to be non-linear. Findings – While the results do not support the existence of a Kuznets-type trajectory, the study finds that the level of per capita income determines whether happiness and corruption are related and in what way. The authors estimate cutoff income levels at which corruption has a discernible effect on happiness. The results show that corruption reduces happiness, but only for high-income countries – roughly the upper half of the income range in the sample. Practical implications – Results nullify the oft-asserted statement that happiness is negatively linked to corruption in all countries. The nature of correlation is more complex. Originality/value – The paper goes beyond simply testing whether happiness is related to corruption. It conjectures that the relationship between the two variables is non-monotonic. Thus, the analysis considers the notion that the association between happiness and probity is income dependent. A novel feature of the empirical model is that the estimated income cutoff levels are endogenously determined. That is, income thresholds are not pre-determined. The authors also test for the robustness of the results by addressing the issue of potential endogeneity of corruption.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Waqas Ahmed ◽  
Khalid Zaman ◽  
Sadaf Taj ◽  
Rabiah Rustam ◽  
Muhammad Waseem ◽  
...  

PurposeThis study aims to examine the relationship between electricity consumption per capita (ELEC) and real per capita income (Y), as the direction of causation of this relationship remains controversial in the existing literature. It also seeks to explore the relationship between energy consumption per capita (ENC) and real per capita income, over a 34‐year period (between 1975 and 2009).Design/methodology/approachThe study uses Johansen cointegration technique to determine the short‐ and long‐run relationship between the variables. The authors also utilize Granger causality test to determine the causal relationship between the selected variables.FindingsThe study provides evidence of bi‐directional causality between the electricity consumption per capita and real per capita income on one hand; and energy consumption per capita and real per capita income on the other hand as the direction of causality has significant policy implications.Research limitations/implicationsThis study does not include all dimensions of the energy growth, but is limited to the three variables which the authors consider to be critical to economic development, including energy consumption, electricity consumption and economic growth.Originality/valueThe study uses a sophisticated econometric technique with additional tests of forecasting framework to examine the effect of energy demand on economic growth over a period of the next ten years, i.e. 2010‐2019, in the context of Pakistan. The impulse response describes the reaction of the system as a function of independent variable that parameterizes the dynamic behavior of the system.


2014 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kolawole Ogundari

Purpose – The aim of this study is in twofolds. First, to take a critical look at nutrient consumed and its trends and second, to examine the relationship between share of nutrient consumed across selected food groups and per capita income in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach – The author uses seemingly unrelated regressions. Findings – The result of the first objective reveals that the average calorie, protein and fat intakes were still below the recommended daily allowance since the 1960s as diets in Nigeria remained very much cereal-based over the years. Also, the results of objective two show that calorie, protein, and fat share of animal products respond positively but inelastic to the per capita income growth in Nigeria over the years. Originality/value – Contrary to previous studies, the present study is designed not to fit aggregated nutrient demand from various food items as a function of income, but to relate the nutrient share of each homogenous and heterogeneous food product categories to the aggregated nutrient intake from these food groups and per capita income in Nigeria.


2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1307-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oguzhan Dincer

PurposeThis study aims to investigate if the level of economic freedom matters for how corruption affects per capita income in US states.Design/methodology/approachUsing a new (and novel) index of corruption, which is based on Associated Press news wires, the author estimates the long-run cointegrating relationship between corruption, economic freedom and per capita income with fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) following Pedroni (2000).FindingsThe author finds that there is a threshold level of economic freedom that determines if corruption reduces the per capita income in a state. According to the FMOLS estimations, the negative effects of corruption on income decrease as economic freedom increases, and they eventually disappear.Originality/valueThis is the first study investigating the intricate relationship between corruption, economic freedom and economic performance using data from US states. The study uses a news-based measure of corruption constructed by Dincer and Johnston (2017), which has several advantages over the convictions-based measure used in previous studies analyzing the relationship between corruption and growth using US data. The study takes into account the integration and cointegration properties of the data and estimates the relationship among the cointegrated variables using FMOLS following Pedroni (2000).


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1178-1193
Author(s):  
Tony Burns

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Amartya Sen’s notion of adaptation and his views on identity politics by focussing on the issue of slavery and, more specifically, on the example of the happy or contented slave. Design/methodology/approach The paper is text based. The methodological approach adopted is that of conceptual analysis, as is typical for work of this kind. Findings The paper concludes that the example of the happy or contented slave is indeed a fruitful one for those interested in exploring the relationship between Sen’s views on “the adaptation problem” and his views on identity politics, especially in relation to the subjection of women. Here Sen’s debt to the ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill is particularly important. Research limitations/implications One implication of the argument of the paper is that there is a need to consider more carefully the differences that exist between the views of Wollstonecraft and Mill, so far as the example of the happy or contented slave is concerned. Practical implications One practical implication of the paper is that, hopefully, it establishes the continued relevance of the ideas of thinkers such as Wollstonecraft and Mill today, not least because of the influence that they have had on theoreticians such as Amartya Sen. Social implications The paper addresses issues which are of considerable social and political significance, especially for women in underdeveloped societies today. Originality/value The example of the happy or contented slave has not received much discussion in the literature on Sen, although Sen himself has suggested that the distinction between happiness and contentment is an important one, which does merit further discussion.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyu Wen ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Mincheol Whang ◽  
Kaixuan Liu

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between bra's visual impression and bra parts, and then to explore the application of visual impression in bra design.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, 82 female undergraduates are asked to answered this questionnaire online, which is about the importance of parts in bra design. In the part of data analysis, the method of principal part analysis (PCA) are used to get the relationship between bra's parts, and reduce dimension of factors that influence bra design. After that, those group of features are further discussed from the perspective of visual design. Finally, design an application based on conclusion.FindingsTo get the influence features of bra appearance and improve the visual design effect, this paper matches the bra parts with visual features (color, texture, shape and space) and presents four main features of bra design: “color,” “visual texture,” “design shape” and “spatial expression” together with corresponding bra parts and technique of expression. Moreover, user interface in bra cloud customization is designed.Practical implicationsThe conclusion, which shows the corresponding relationship between bra visual effect and its basic parts, has an important role in bra visual design. First, it can be useful for design idea with different technique of expression, which may supply a theoretical basis for design. Secondly, the combination of bra parts and visual features can be used to evaluate the appearance.Originality/valueDiscussing the bra visual impression based on bra's basic parts and visual features provides a theoretical method for bra design and its appearance evaluation.


2012 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 715-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregor Gall ◽  
Jack Fiorito

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to give a critique of the extant literature on union commitment and participation in order to develop remedies to identified weaknessesDesign/methodology/approachThe paper uses a critical assessment of extant literature.FindingsA number of critical deficiencies exist in the literature to which remedies are proposed.Research limitations/implicationsThe remedies need testing through empirical research.Practical implicationsFuture research needs to have different research foci and questions.Social implicationsWith a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership, unions may be better able to benefit from academic research in the area.Originality/valueThe paper suggests that a reorientation of future research on union commitment, participation and leadership will allow more incisive and more robust contributions to be made to understanding unions as complex social organisms.


Author(s):  
Nopadol Rompho

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between levels of human capital and financial performance of firms that use two distinct human resource management (HRM) strategies. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 128 HRM managers was conducted to assess differences in human capital between firms using different HRM strategies. A multiple regression analysis was used to investigate the relationship between firms’ human capital and financial performance. Findings The results show that companies employing a make-organic strategy have a higher level of human capital than companies employing a buy-bureaucratic strategy. There was no relationship between the level of human capital and long term financial performance of firms with both make-organic and buy-bureaucratic strategies. Research limitations/implications This research contributes toward understanding the effect of HRM strategy and facilitates an optimal strategy choice depending on the organization. However, this study did not consider the lead time between changes in human capital and the effect on financial performance. Practical implications The research encourages firm managers to understand the value of human capital, preparing them for changes in the future. Originality/value This study is among the first to investigate the relationship between human capital and financial performance considering different HRM strategies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 34 (11) ◽  
pp. 26-28

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings That whilst there are similarities between Strategic Quality Management (SQM) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), one is not dependent on the other. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives, strategists and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.


2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 610-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Oladapo Alabede

Purpose This study aims to expand the conventional tax effort model to incorporate relevant economic freedom variables to investigate whether economic freedom fosters tax revenue performance in `sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Design/methodology/approach This study uses data from 42 countries across the four sub-regions of SSA from the period 2005 to 2012 with 252 year-country observations in an unbalanced panel method. The data were statistically treated using feasible generalised least square (FGLS) and panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE) estimate techniques. Findings The findings are twofold. First, the principal finding of the study suggests that economic freedom promotes tax revenue performance. Precisely, the FGLS analysis indicates that property rights freedom, freedom from corruption and investment freedom, as well as the composite economic freedom, exerted positive significant impact on tax revenue performance. This implies that country, which attained high degree of economic freedom, is likely to have higher tax-to-GDP ratio than a country with low level of economic freedom. Secondly, the results of most conventional variables conform to the prediction in the traditional theory except per capita income. Specifically, agriculture share in GDP and per capita income indicate negative significant relationship with tax revenue performance. Originality/value Because little is known empirically about the connection between economic freedom and tax revenue performance, this study extended the conventional tax effort model to incorporate the economic freedom to bridge the knowledge gap due to the absence of empirical evidence on the relationship between economic freedom and tax effort.


2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannes Zacher ◽  
Heiko Schulz

Purpose – In many countries, both the number of older people in need of care and the number of employed caregivers of elderly relatives will increase over the next decades. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which perceived organizational, supervisor, and coworker support for eldercare reduce employed caregivers’ strain and weaken the relationship between eldercare demands and strain. Design/methodology/approach – Survey data were collected from 100 employed caregivers from one organization. Findings – Results showed that eldercare demands were positively related to strain, and perceived organizational eldercare support (POES) was negatively related to strain. In addition, high POES weakened the relationship between eldercare demands and strain. Research limitations/implications – The cross-sectional design and use of self-report scales constitute limitations of the study. Practical implications – POES is a resource for employed caregivers, especially when their eldercare demands are high. Originality/value – This research highlights the relative importance of different forms of perceived support for reducing employed caregivers’ strain and weakening the relationship between eldercare demands and strain.


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