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66
How Much Does Money Really Matter? Estimating the Causal Effects of Income on Happiness
- Empirical Economics
, 2010
"... There is a long tradition of psychologists finding small income effects on life satisfaction (or happiness). Yet the issue of income endogeneity in life satisfaction equations has rarely been addressed. This paper aims to do just that. Instrumenting for income and allowing for unobserved heterogenei ..."
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Cited by 25 (5 self)
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There is a long tradition of psychologists finding small income effects on life satisfaction (or happiness). Yet the issue of income endogeneity in life satisfaction equations has rarely been addressed. This paper aims to do just that. Instrumenting for income and allowing for unobserved heterogeneity result in an estimated income effect that is almost twice as large as the estimate in the basic specification. The results call for a reexamination on previous findings that suggest money buys little happiness, and a reevaluation on how the calculation of compensatory packages to various shocks in the individual’s life events should be designed.
Life satisfaction and air quality in London
- Ecological Economics
, 2009
"... A growing body of research in economics concerns self-reported happiness, or life satisfaction (LS), and its relation ship to a wide range of other variables. The findings of this research tend to highlight the importance of non-income aspects of individuals ’ life conditions. These findings are str ..."
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Cited by 11 (0 self)
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A growing body of research in economics concerns self-reported happiness, or life satisfaction (LS), and its relation ship to a wide range of other variables. The findings of this research tend to highlight the importance of non-income aspects of individuals ’ life conditions. These findings are strongly complementary to themes within the sustainable development discourse. Firstly, they suggest ways in which we might consume less without compromising on our current levels of LS. And secondly, they help demonstrate the immediate LS benefits that could be gained from higher levels of environmental quality (EQ). However, the empirical evidence for the link between EQ and LS is, to date, somewhat weak, due in part to a lack of EQ data at a level of detail to match the individual-by-individual resolution of LS measures. This small, exploratory study therefore seeks to assess how the use of EQ data at very high spatial resolution could advance the empirical literature examining connections between LS and EQ levels, focusing on air quality in particular. It collects original survey data for
THE COSTS OF ORGANIZED VIOLENCE: A REVIEW OF THE EVIDENCE*
, 2009
"... ABSTRACT: I critically review recent studies that estimate those costs of violence and conflict that can emerge among organized political groupings, from states, religious and ethnic organizations to guerillas and paramilitaries. The review includes studies that estimate direct and indirect costs du ..."
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Cited by 9 (1 self)
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ABSTRACT: I critically review recent studies that estimate those costs of violence and conflict that can emerge among organized political groupings, from states, religious and ethnic organizations to guerillas and paramilitaries. The review includes studies that estimate direct and indirect costs due to internal conflicts (civil wars and other lowerlevel conflicts), terrorism, and external conflicts, including military spending. There are a number of key theoretical concerns on what counts as a cost, and, depending on the methods and evidence used, estimated costs vary widely. However, even minimum estimates are economically significant, especially for low-income countries. This is even more so when the costs of different types of organized conflict and violence are aggregated.
Measuring Terrorism
, 2003
"... Terrorism will be high on the political agenda for many years to come. Various policies are open to a government fighting terrorism but, in any case, considerable costs are involved. In the competition for political support, the costs and benefits of anti-terrorism policies will be debated. Better ..."
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Cited by 8 (0 self)
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Terrorism will be high on the political agenda for many years to come. Various policies are open to a government fighting terrorism but, in any case, considerable costs are involved. In the competition for political support, the costs and benefits of anti-terrorism policies will be debated. Better information about terrorism and its consequences can improve policy outcome if there is electoral competition. Over the last few years, economic scholars have analysed the effects terrorist acts have on various aspects of the economy. The findings of these impact studies are summarised in this paper. They capture, however, only part of the overall utility losses. Hence, several approaches to value public goods and conceptual issues concerning their application to terrorism are discussed. In particular, the hedonic market approach, the averting behaviour method, the contingent valuation method and vote and popularity functions are reviewed. Further, an exploratory analysis of estimating individuals ’ utility losses using life satisfaction or happiness data is presented. This paper also discusses a substantially different approach combining measurement and decision-making, namely popular referenda.
INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM, POLITICAL INSTABILITY AND THE ESCALATION EFFECT
, 2009
"... Abstract: What are the main causes of international terrorism? The lessons from the surge of academic research that followed 9/11 remain elusive. The careful investigation of the relative roles of economic and political conditions did little to change the fact that existing econometric estimates div ..."
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Cited by 7 (0 self)
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Abstract: What are the main causes of international terrorism? The lessons from the surge of academic research that followed 9/11 remain elusive. The careful investigation of the relative roles of economic and political conditions did little to change the fact that existing econometric estimates diverge in size, sign and significance. In this paper we present a new rationale (the escalation effect) stressing domestic political instability as the main reason for international terrorism. Econometric evidence from a panel of more than 130 countries (yearly from 1968 to 2003) shows this to be a much more promising avenue for future research than the available alternatives.
An empirical analysis*
"... decentralization as a disincentive for transnational terror? ..."
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Cited by 5 (0 self)
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decentralization as a disincentive for transnational terror?
Education, income, and support for suicide bombings: Evidence from six Muslim countries
- Journal of Conflict Resolution
, 2010
"... We examine the correlates of support for suicide bombing among Muslim publics in six mostly Muslim countries that have experienced such attacks. We find strong evidence that the conventional wisdom that increased education reduces the probability of support for suicide bombings applies in the case o ..."
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Cited by 3 (0 self)
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We examine the correlates of support for suicide bombing among Muslim publics in six mostly Muslim countries that have experienced such attacks. We find strong evidence that the conventional wisdom that increased education reduces the probability of support for suicide bombings applies in the case of attacks on civilians, but not in the case of attacks on foreign forces and supporting civilians occupying Muslim lands. Our findings disagree with the argument made by Princeton economist Alan Krueger (2007) and show the importance of distinguishing between targets of suicide bombings. Unlike suicide bombings on foreign occupiers in Iraq, attacks against civilians raise complex moral questions and therefore draw less support from educated Muslim individuals. We also find that members of Muslim publics with higher income and who perceive Islam to be under threat are more likely to support suicide bombings on both civilians and occupation forces.
Comparing the Determinants of Concern about Terrorism and Crime
, 2009
"... at DIW Berlin This series presents research findings based either directly on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) or using SOEP data as part of an internationally comparable data set (e.g. CNEF, ECHP, LIS, LWS, CHER/PACO). SOEP is a truly multidisciplinary household panel study co ..."
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Cited by 3 (0 self)
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at DIW Berlin This series presents research findings based either directly on data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) or using SOEP data as part of an internationally comparable data set (e.g. CNEF, ECHP, LIS, LWS, CHER/PACO). SOEP is a truly multidisciplinary household panel study covering a wide range of social and behavioral sciences: economics, sociology, psychology, survey methodology, econometrics and applied statistics, educational science, political science, public health, behavioral genetics, demography, geography, and sport science. The decision to publish a submission in SOEPpapers is made by a board of editors chosen by the DIW Berlin to represent the wide range of disciplines covered by SOEP. There is no external referee process and papers are either accepted or rejected without revision. Papers appear in this series as works in progress and may also appear elsewhere. They often represent preliminary studies and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be requested from the author directly.
AL QAEDA AND JIHADIST TERRORISM IN THE LIGHT OF CONTEST THEORY A THEORETICAL NOTE AND EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE OVER THE PERIOD 2002-2007 1
"... Abstract: This paper shows that the number of victims of al-Qaeda-style terrorist attacks is significantly associated with the number of victims of previous attacks. Given the existence of several jihadist groups in many countries, such evidence is interpreted in the light of contest theory as the o ..."
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Cited by 3 (2 self)
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Abstract: This paper shows that the number of victims of al-Qaeda-style terrorist attacks is significantly associated with the number of victims of previous attacks. Given the existence of several jihadist groups in many countries, such evidence is interpreted in the light of contest theory as the outcome of a competition between them. Namely increasing brutality of terrorist incidents would depend on competition between groups which are willing to gain the highest possible reputation. To maximize their own probability of winning some 'prize ' provided by al Qaeda, would-be terrorist groups maximize their efforts with the result of escalating brutality. In the presence of costless information each candidate group can easily observe the results of attacks of other groups. Therefore, each group tries to make attacks at least equally destructive as the foregoing attacks. However, results show that preconditions for terrorist activity have to be found within grievance for socio-economic conditions.
Assessing the Impacts of the Global Economic Crisis and Swine Flu on Inbound Tourism Demand in the United Kingdom
- Journal of Travel Research
, 2012
"... The recent economic crisis and swine flu pandemic have had significantly negative impacts on global tourism. Tourism in the United Kingdom has also suffered as a result of the two crises, although their actual impacts have yet to be evaluated. This study analyzes the impacts of these two phenomena o ..."
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Cited by 2 (0 self)
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The recent economic crisis and swine flu pandemic have had significantly negative impacts on global tourism. Tourism in the United Kingdom has also suffered as a result of the two crises, although their actual impacts have yet to be evaluated. This study analyzes the impacts of these two phenomena on the demand for U.K. inbound tourism during the 2008Q1-2009Q2 period among visitors from the country’s 14 major visitor source markets. An econometric framework is proposed to separate and estimate the impacts of swine flu and the economic crisis on U.K. tourism demand.
