Abstract
In this paper we address the relationship between happiness and acts of corruption and shadow economy in Romania. From our survey conducted on a sample of 101 respondents from Romania (on March 2020), we find that Romanian people do not link happiness to material issues in particular, but rather they see it as a consequence of having families, professional and spiritual fulfillment, while money and property are last in this ranking. The average income that would make the respondents happy is on average of 5,223 lei (about 1,100 Euro) per month, an amount that they consider necessary to cover the basic needs that influence their development. Our findings reveal that the most corruption practices encountered in the public institutions refer to receiving money and gifts for services to which people are entitled followed by receiving money and gifts to favor someone. However, corruption and shadow economy are not perceived as being very relevant in fully influencing the level of happiness they perceive.
Highlights
Various studies have suggested that the corruption affects economic development being an impediment for increasing the investments [1 - 2], the absorption of European funds [3], business development and performance [4], and affects the economic growth [5 - 6]
From our survey conducted on a sample of 101 respondents from Romania, we find that Romanian people do not link happiness to material issues in particular, but rather they see it as a consequence of having families, professional and spiritual fulfillment, while money and property are last in this ranking
In this stage of development of the analysis, we will present the relevant aspects related to our study. We will reveal both the way in which happiness is perceived by participants and how they see the corruption and the shadow economy, what is the connection between them, what practices influence them, or to what extent these practices of society affect their level of happiness
Summary
Various studies have suggested that the corruption affects economic development being an impediment for increasing the investments [1 - 2], the absorption of European funds [3], business development and performance [4], and affects the economic growth [5 - 6]. Bâtea phenomena of corruption and shadow economy generate negative effects on economic and sustainable development [7], on the physical and mental health of the population [8 - 11]. Few studies have investigated the relationship between corruption and happiness or life satisfaction, and the results are quite contradictory [8, 9], [12 - 14]. The studies of [12], and [13], did not identify any relationship between the level of corruption and the level of mental health. Bjørnskov et al investigated a wide range of life satisfaction factors, using a sample of over 70 countries, but did not identify corruption (along with other institutional components, such as freedom of the press) among the significant factors of satisfaction with life. Some similar results were found by [13], for Latin American countries, which did not identify corruption as a possible determinant of happiness. Graham claims that "the people of Afghanistan, for example, are as happy as Latin Americans and are 20% more likely to smile one day than Cubans," and the explanation is only a matter of adjustment
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