Subjective Wellbeing in Colombia : Some Insights on Vulnerability, Job Security, and Relative Incomes

Krauss, Alexander ; Graham, Carol

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: ACCOUNTABILITY;    AGE GROUP;    AGE GROUPS;    ANXIETY;    ARMED CONFLICT;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-6672
RP-ID  :  WPS6672

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

A burgeoning literature explores theextent to which consumption or income inadequately reflectpeople's subjective wellbeing, just as GDP at times canprovide an incomplete and misleading picture of nationalwellbeing. Scholars are increasingly using data onsubjective wellbeing to complement traditional welfareindicators and to enrich our understanding of wellbeing andquality of life. The paper builds on the present researchbut it analyzes a much broader, more interdisciplinary, andmore policy-relevant range of potential determinantssimultaneously than currently existing in the literature onsubjective wellbeing. It first analyzes the relativeimportance of a wide range of characteristics and conditionsat the individual, household, regional and macro levels onlevels of subjective wellbeing in Colombia in 2010/11; andsecond, assesses the marginal effects of a number of factorson perceived changes in levels of subjective wellbeing overtime for the same respondents from 2008/09 to 2010/11.Findings show that increasing the quality of life ofColombians is largely conditional on minimizing risks andvulnerabilities: reducing the rate and duration ofunemployment; improving the delivery of public healthservices; increasing the share of people with health andpension plans; enhancing safety and security in communities;and reducing levels of discrimination. It finds that jobloss has particularly strong effects on levels ofsatisfaction that are larger than those for increasedincome, while also controlling for a decrease in income thatis often related to being unemployed, suggesting that thehuman welfare (non-pecuniary) costs of unemployment aredriving the strong effects. Moreover, any job, even alow-quality job, is overall better for one's subjectivewellbeing than being unemployed. Finally, policy aimed atimproving people's subjective wellbeing will likelyhave the greatest impact if focused on mitigatingvulnerabilities and negative shocks that people face.