scholarly journals Do Cigarette Taxes Make Smokers Happier

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan H Gruber ◽  
Sendhil Mullainathan
Keyword(s):  
State Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Differential Impact ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Cigarette Taxes ◽  
Excise Taxes ◽  
Independent Information ◽  
Cigarette Taxation ◽  
Tax Changes

AbstractSome policy makers justify cigarette taxes by arguing that they actually make smokers better off. This argument has been hard to evaluate because behavioral data, such as that showing reduced cigarette consumption following a tax hike, cannot resolve the issue of whether smokers are made better off by the reduction or not. In this paper, we directly assess the effect of cigarette taxes on well-being, using subjective well-being data. We model the differential impact of excise taxes on those with a propensity to smoke, relative to others, in order to control for omitted correlations between happiness and excise taxation. Using US data on happiness and state-level changes in excise taxes, we find consistent evidence that excise taxes make those who have a propensity to smoke happier. To assess robustness, we repeat the exercise using Canadian data, which has independent information on well-being and also much larger tax changes, and find the exact same pattern. Moreover, these impacts are present for cigarette excise taxes, but not for other excise taxes. These results suggest that the welfare effects of cigarette taxation are far more complex than simple rational economic models might predict.

scholarly journals Buffer Stock Operations and Well-Being: The Case of Smallholder Farmers in Ghana

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emmanuel Abokyi ◽  
Dirk Strijker ◽  
Kofi Fred Asiedu ◽  
Michiel N. Daams
Keyword(s):  
Stock Price ◽  
Smallholder Farmers ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Buffer Stock ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Stabilization Policy ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Aid Policy

AbstractThis study investigates the possible causal relationship between buffer stock operations in Ghanaian agriculture and the well-being of smallholder farmers in a developing world setting. We analyze the differences in the objective and subjective well-being of smallholder farmers who do or do not participate in a buffer stock price stabilization policy initiative, using self-reported assessments of 507 farmers. We adopt a two-stage least square instrumental variable estimation to account for possible endogeneity. Our results provide evidence that participation in buffer stock operations improves the objective and subjective well-being of smallholder farmers by 20% and 15%, respectively. Also, with estimated coefficient of 1.033, we find a significant and robust relationship between objective well-being and subjective well-being among smallholder farmers. This relationship implies that improving objective well-being enhances the subjective well-being of the farmers. We also find that the activities of intermediaries decrease both the objective and subjective well-being of farmers. This study demonstrates that economic, social, and environmental aspects of agricultural life could constitute priorities for public policy in improving well-being, given their strong correlation with the well-being of farmers. Based on the results of this study, we provide a better understanding, which may aid policy-makers, that public buffer stockholding operations policy is a viable tool for improving the well-being of smallholder farmers in a developing country.

scholarly journals Estimating geographic subjective well-being from Twitter: A comparison of dictionary and data-driven language methods

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (19) ◽  
pp. 10165-10171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kokil Jaidka ◽  
Salvatore Giorgi ◽  
H. Andrew Schwartz ◽  
Margaret L. Kern ◽  
Lyle H. Ungar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Systematic Evaluation ◽  
County Level ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Regional Effects ◽  
Word Level

Researchers and policy makers worldwide are interested in measuring the subjective well-being of populations. When users post on social media, they leave behind digital traces that reflect their thoughts and feelings. Aggregation of such digital traces may make it possible to monitor well-being at large scale. However, social media-based methods need to be robust to regional effects if they are to produce reliable estimates. Using a sample of 1.53 billion geotagged English tweets, we provide a systematic evaluation of word-level and data-driven methods for text analysis for generating well-being estimates for 1,208 US counties. We compared Twitter-based county-level estimates with well-being measurements provided by the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index survey through 1.73 million phone surveys. We find that word-level methods (e.g., Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count [LIWC] 2015 and Language Assessment by Mechanical Turk [LabMT]) yielded inconsistent county-level well-being measurements due to regional, cultural, and socioeconomic differences in language use. However, removing as few as three of the most frequent words led to notable improvements in well-being prediction. Data-driven methods provided robust estimates, approximating the Gallup data at up to r = 0.64. We show that the findings generalized to county socioeconomic and health outcomes and were robust when poststratifying the samples to be more representative of the general US population. Regional well-being estimation from social media data seems to be robust when supervised data-driven methods are used.

scholarly journals Constraints to growth in informal sector activities and formalisation: A case study of Ghanaian slums

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Darma Mahadea ◽  
Luther-King Junior Zogli
Keyword(s):  
Informal Sector ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Credit Access ◽  
Pca Method

Background: Globally, people often migrate from rural to urban areas in search of employment. Lack of adequate employment opportunities in cities forced individuals to engage in slum informal economic activities out of necessity.Aim: The informal sector presently employed about 86% of labour in Ghana, contributing 42% to its gross domestic product (GDP). Various constraints held back the development of slum informal activities. Formalising the informal sector is advocated as a step to generate employment. This article investigated the dynamics of informal sector activities and formalisation among slum operators in Ghana, based on a survey in two major cities there.Setting: This article investigated the constraints that hinder the development of slum activities in Accra and Kumasi, two cities in Ghana, and examined the informal operators’ subjective well-being and their willingness to graduate to the formal sector, should the constraints be addressed.Methods: Data were collected by means of a questionnaire, administered to a random sample of 342 informal slum operators. Enterprise constraints are examined by using the principal component analysis (PCA) method and the likelihood of the informal operators’ graduating to the formal sector by using logistic regression.Results: The PCA identified six clusters as limitations, explaining about 77% of the variation in constraints. These related to a lack of business knowledge, credit access, tools and materials, security and social networking. The logistic regression results reflect that, of all the constraints, it is only when access to capital is addressed, that slum operators will move into formal activities.Conclusion: When people are happy in what they are doing, they are reluctant to move to the formal sector, despite incentives or interventions that address their enterprise constraints. Hence, slum operators and informal activities are unlikely to disappear. Nevertheless, policy-makers have to devise appropriate financing strategies for slum operators to help in their formalisation and growth pathways.

Understanding the Pursuit of Happiness in Ten Major Cities

2011 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 861-888 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin M. Leyden ◽  
Abraham Goldberg ◽  
Philip Michelbach
Keyword(s):  
Public Transportation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Easy Access ◽  
Social Connections ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Pursuit Of Happiness ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The City

The pursuit of happiness has a long history as a primary political end in Western political thought. Along with traditional economic indicators, policy makers are increasingly concerned with the subjective well-being of a society as a measure for its success. It is important to understand the nature of happiness and ask what can be done to improve it. This article builds upon existing literature that consistently identifies health, wealth, and social connectedness as key predictors of happiness. We find that the design and conditions of cities are associated with the happiness of residents in 10 urban areas. Cities that provide easy access to convenient public transportation and to cultural and leisure amenities promote happiness. Cities that are affordable and serve as good places to raise children also have happier residents. We suggest that such places foster the types of social connections that can improve happiness and ultimately enhance the attractiveness of living in the city.

scholarly journals Happiness in Communities: How Neighborhoods, Cities and States Use Subjective Well-Being Metrics

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Musikanski ◽  
Carl Polley ◽  
Scott Cloutier ◽  
Erica Berejnoi ◽  
Julia Colbert
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Social Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Survey Instrument ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Community Organizers ◽  
Survey Instruments

This essay, the fourth and last of a series published by the<em> Journal of Social Change</em>, is intended as a tool for community organizers, local policy makers, researchers, students and others to incorporate subjective well-being indicators into their measurements and management of happiness and well-being in their communities, for policy purposes, for research and for other purposes. It provides case studies of community-based efforts in five different regions (São Paulo, Brazil; Bristol, United Kingdom; Melbourne, Australia; Creston, British Columbia, Canada; and Vermont, United States) that either developed their own subjective well-being index or used the Happiness Alliance’s survey instrument to measure happiness and well-being. The essay offers lessons to consider when using subjective well-being indicator survey instruments. Finally, the essay provides a process for measuring happiness using the Happiness Alliance’s survey instrument.

Nudges that should fail?

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 316-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
AVISHALOM TOR
Keyword(s):  
Well Being ◽  
Diagnostic Value ◽  
Welfare Effects ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Normative Status ◽  
Paternalistic Approach

AbstractProfessor Sunstein (2017) discusses the possible causes for and policy implications of the failure of nudges, with special attention to defaults. Though he focuses on nudges that fail when they should succeed, Sunstein recognizes that some failures reveal that a nudge should not have been attempted to begin with. ‘Nudges that fail’, however, does not consider fully the relationship between the outcomes of nudging and their likely welfare effects, most notably neglecting the troubling case of nudges that succeed when they should fail. Hence, after clarifying the boundaries of legitimate nudging within a libertarian-paternalistic approach and noting the fourfold relationship between the efficacy of nudging and its normative desirability, this article evaluates more fully the case of failed nudges and examines the hitherto unaddressed problem of successful yet undesirable nudges. This analysis shows that the failure of nudging bears only limited diagnostic value, while the success of a nudge is even less indicative of its normative status. The article concludes with recommendations for policy-makers who wish to employ nudges that are not only efficacious, but also likely to advance the subjective well-being of the individuals they target.

Subjective Well-Being of Different Consumer Lifestyle Segments

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Ganglmair-Wooliscroft ◽  
Rob Lawson
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Population Groups ◽  
Available Resources

The enhancement of quality of life (QoL) is one of marketing’s contributions to society. It is frequently investigated using Subjective Well-Being (SWB)—a concept that focuses on individual’s perceived QoL. Consumer lifestyle segments are a modern day stratification tool that explores how people choose to use available resources to express and develop their status in a society. How SWB varies across New Zealand’s consumer lifestyle segments and potential explanations for the differences in perceived levels of satisfaction is investigated. While overall levels of SWB are influenced by available resources, the characteristics of lifestyle segments provide richer explanations for perceived differences in well-being. This information is useful for policy makers as a first stage to diagnose problems and to develop strategies. Ultimately, lifestyle segmentation may provide an effective basis for targeting interventions aimed at raising SWB in particular population groups.

The Causal Effect of Voluntary Roles in Sport on Subjective Well-Being in European Countries

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 303-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela Wicker ◽  
Paul Downward
Keyword(s):  
Causal Effect ◽  
Committee Member ◽  
Well Being ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Sport Organizations ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Administrative Roles ◽  
Administrative Tasks

This study examines the causal effect of different voluntary roles in sport on individuals’ subjective well-being. Theoretically, volunteering can affect well-being through various mechanisms, including enjoyment, new contacts, skill development, exercising altruism, and relational goods. The empirical analysis uses data from 28 European countries (n = 52,957). Subjective well-being is measured with self-reported life satisfaction. The number of administrative roles (e.g., board or committee member, administrative tasks), sport-related roles (e.g., coach, instructor, referee), and operational roles (e.g., organize a sport event, provide transport) capture volunteering. The results of linear regression models support the positive relationship between volunteering and subjective well-being as evident in existing research. However, instrumental variable estimates reveal that only the number of operational roles has a significant positive effect on well-being, whereas the effects of administrative and sport-related roles are jointly significantly negative. The findings of this study have implications for sport organizations and policy makers.

The effect of employment on the subjective well-being of 60–80 years old people

2020 ◽  
Vol 47 (12) ◽  
pp. 1481-1497
Author(s):  
Hila Axelrad ◽  
Arie Sherman ◽  
Israel Luski
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Older Workers ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Positive Contribution ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cognitive Component ◽  
Self Employment

PurposeThe current study investigates the association of employment at older age (60–80 years ) with the cognitive component of subjective well-being (SWB): life satisfaction.Design/methodology/approachOut of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the present study’s sample included 58,197 observations of participants aged 60–80 years from 18 countries. The authors estimate the direct effects of employment and number of working hours on life satisfaction while considering the characteristics of the job and their impact.FindingsResults reveal that individuals who do not work enjoy a higher level of life satisfaction and so do those who work in developing jobs. Work under pressure reduces the level of SWB and working in physically demanding jobs has no significant impact on SWB. The results confirm previous findings regarding the positive contribution of self-employment to individuals’ SWB.Originality/valueThe results allow policy makers to implement policy measures that can improve older workers' SWB.

A Child's Day

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Killian Mullan
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
Time Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Family Education ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Daily Lives ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Affective Component ◽  
Education Culture ◽  
The Relationship

We routinely judge how well children are doing in their lives by how they spend their time, yet we know remarkably little about it. This rigorous review of four decades of data provides the clearest insights yet into the way children use their time. With analysis of changes in the time spent on family, education, culture and technology, as well as children's own views on their habits, it provides a fascinating perspective on behaviour, well-being, social change and more. This is an indispensable companion to the work of policy makers, academics and researchers, and anyone interested in the daily lives of children. The book begins by tracing some of the major strands of social change thought to have had an impact on different areas of children's daily time use. The past several decades have witnessed rapid social, economic, and technological change, widely thought to have affected many aspects of children's daily lives. It then examines the relationship between children's time use and outcomes relating to their health, development, and well-being, drawing together strands of thought from the sociology of childhood and research on child well-being. The book discusses overall trends in children's time doing homework and study. It examines associations between children's time use and a range of different health outcomes, and moves on to investigate the context of children's daily life linked to family, in particular concentrating on the time children spend at home and with parents. It evaluates children's time using technology, and focuses on the affective component of subjective well-being, specifically in connection with how children feel about how they spend their time. In conclusion, the book identifies areas of expected change as well as other areas of surprising stability. It reveals how change and stability in children's time use blend together to comprise a child's day, uncovering also the multi-layered contexts of a child's day.

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