The Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being

dc.contributor.advisorVisser, Martine
dc.contributor.authorHudson-Reed, Jessica Erin
dc.date.accessioned2019-02-22T10:57:18Z
dc.date.available2019-02-22T10:57:18Z
dc.date.issued2018
dc.date.updated2019-02-21T11:47:53Z
dc.description.abstractOver the past decade, economists and policy makers have become increasingly interested in the relationship between income, economic growth and happiness. Drawing on the existing literature and empirical evidence, this research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationship between income and subjective well-being. This research uncovers a paradoxical relationship between income and subjective well-being. Specifically, at a point in time, both within and across nations, happiness varies directly with income, but over time, happiness does not increase when a country’s income increases. This paradoxical relationship can be attributed to 'internal’ and 'external’ income comparisons and the effects these comparisons have on material aspirations and satisfaction judgements. As such, this research finds that relative income, in addition to one’s own absolute income, is an important determinant of individual subjective well-being. Moreover, this research provides evidence of a possible causal relationship between income, relative income and subjective well-being. Overall, this research makes a valuable contribution to the literature by bringing together a diverse range of empirical evidence and theoretical arguments to form a holistic and indepth understanding of the complex relationships and processes at work.
dc.identifier.apacitationHudson-Reed, J. E. (2018). <i>The Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29744en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationHudson-Reed, Jessica Erin. <i>"The Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2018. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29744en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationHudson-Reed, J. 2018. The Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Hudson-Reed, Jessica Erin AB - Over the past decade, economists and policy makers have become increasingly interested in the relationship between income, economic growth and happiness. Drawing on the existing literature and empirical evidence, this research seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the complex relationship between income and subjective well-being. This research uncovers a paradoxical relationship between income and subjective well-being. Specifically, at a point in time, both within and across nations, happiness varies directly with income, but over time, happiness does not increase when a country’s income increases. This paradoxical relationship can be attributed to 'internal’ and 'external’ income comparisons and the effects these comparisons have on material aspirations and satisfaction judgements. As such, this research finds that relative income, in addition to one’s own absolute income, is an important determinant of individual subjective well-being. Moreover, this research provides evidence of a possible causal relationship between income, relative income and subjective well-being. Overall, this research makes a valuable contribution to the literature by bringing together a diverse range of empirical evidence and theoretical arguments to form a holistic and indepth understanding of the complex relationships and processes at work. DA - 2018 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2018 T1 - The Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being TI - The Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29744 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/29744
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationHudson-Reed JE. The Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,School of Economics, 2018 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/29744en_ZA
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisher.departmentSchool of Economics
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Commerce
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherEconomics
dc.titleThe Economics of Happiness: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Income and Subjective Well-Being
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMCom
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