Decentralization, happiness and the perception of institutions

Arbeitspapier

This paper analyses whether the different powers and resources at the disposal of local and regional governments across Europe deliver greater satisfaction with political institutions and lead to greater personal happiness. The analysis uses microdata from the four available waves of the European social survey (2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008), including more than 160,000 observations of individuals living in 29 European countries. Our results reveal that political and fiscal decentralization have a positive and significant effect on individuals' overall happiness. Fiscal decentralization also exerts a significant effect on the level of satisfaction with political and economic institutions and with the education and health systems, whereas the effect of political decentralization on these variables is more limited. The results show that citizens seem to be happier with the actual capacity of their local governments to deliver than with the general principle that they can have a say on their daily politics and policies.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 5647

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Structure, Scope, and Performance of Government ; Intergovernmental Relations; Federalism; Secession
• Subject: happiness ; well-being ; satisfaction ; fiscal and political decentralization ; Europe ; Dezentralisierung ; Finanzföderalismus ; Wahrnehmung ; Zufriedenheit ; Partizipation ; Europa

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Diaz-Serrano, Luis ; Rodríguez-Pose, Andrés
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2011

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/51639
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-201104193344
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET