Welfare Policy and Subjective Well-Being Across Nations: An Individual-Level Assessment |
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| Authors: | Alexander C Pacek Benjamin Radcliff |
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| Institution: | (1) Department of Political Science, Texas A&M University, Allen Building, College Station, TX 77843-4348, USA;(2) Department of Political Science, Notre Dame University, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA |
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| Abstract: | In the vast and diverse literature on determinants of life-satisfaction and happiness, there is a relative dearth of empirical
research on the role of specifically political factors. We identify one such possible factor, the industrial welfare state,
and assess its impact on how individuals perceive their well-being. The voluminous literature on the welfare state highlights
its position as one of the most profound chapters in the latter-day human experience, but focuses on its indirect effects
on well-being through economic and social conditions. We contend that the welfare state exerts a more direct effect to the
extent that individuals experience very real impacts on their quality of life. Considering individual responses in 18 industrial
democracies from 1981 to 2000, we find that welfare state generosity exerts a positive and significant impact on life-satisfaction
and happiness. We discuss implications for further research generated by these findings.
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| Keywords: | Welfare Policy Subjective well-being Happiness Life-satisfaction |
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