Well-being and the complexity of poverty: A subjective well-being approach

Arbeitspapier

This investigation studies human well-being from a subjective well-being approach. On the basis of a Mexican database the investigation shows that there is a weak relationship between subjective well-being and indicators of well-being such as income and consumption. Therefore, subjective well-being provides additional useful information to study human well-being and, in consequence, poverty. Three reasons for the existence of a weak relationship are studied: First, the fact that a person is much more than a consumer; second, the role of heterogeneity in human perceptions; and third, the existence of heterogeneity in purposes of life. The understanding and abatement of poverty would be better served by a concept of human well-being which incorporates subjective well-being indicators and which is based on the wholeness and complexity of human beings.

Object Details

• ISBN: 9291906166
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: WIDER Research Paper ; No. 2004/29

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; General Welfare; Well-Being ; Measurement and Analysis of Poverty ; Demographic Economics: General
• Subject: socioeconomic indicators ; subjective well-being ; happiness ; poverty ; Lebensqualität ; Sozialer Indikator ; Mexiko

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Rojas, Mariano
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER)
• (where): Helsinki
• (when): 2004

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/63558
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET