Index Of Economic Well-Being Research Articles

On the weighting of homo economicus and homo virtus in human behaviour

In economic sciences, most analyses focus on the economic person construct. However, this that formalization does not capture the complex nature of human behaviour. This paper estimates the weight that economic and noneconomic dimensions of human behaviour have on wellbeing. A utility function is considered that models behaviour from a complex standpoint, where the motivations of the economic individual (homo economicus) are analysed in a broad perspective by integrating emotional wellbeing and human virtues into the model (homo virtus). Three empirical measures of wellbeing are used: The Well-Being Index developed by the Boston Consulting Group’s Sustainable Economic Development Assessment (2008–2018), the Index of Economic Well-Being from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards (1980–2014), and the Happiness Score from the World Happiness Report (2005–2018). Depending on data availability, the model is estimated globally for all countries, OECD countries, European countries, and developing countries using linear regression methods. The results indicate that, on average, the homo virtus dimension of behaviour has a weight of 11% in countries’ wellbeing functions, while the economic perspective has a weight of 89%. Additionally, the results show that richer countries value economic factors more than poorer countries. The analyses also show that the maximum level of emotional satisfaction is higher for European and OECD countries than for developing countries.

Composite Index Ranking of Economic Well-Being in U.S. Metropolitan Areas: How Prevalent are Rank Anomalies?

Composite indicators have the advantage of summarizing complex multi-dimensional concepts in a single measurement. They also suffer from disadvantages such as subjectivity in choice of indicators, weighting, and aggregation methods. In this paper, we update Medcalfe’s (Social Indicators Research 139(3), 1147–1167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1755-5 . 2018) Economic Well-Being (EWB) index of US Metropolitan Statistical Areas with the latest (2017) available data. Using this index of EWB, we investigate two social choice violations that have been understudied in the composite indicators literature. We provide theoretical and empirical evidence of cycles and violations of independence of irrelevant alternatives. Depending on the number of cities and ranking components, incidence of these social choice violations can be large, creating ambiguity in a set of rankings. In general, having more ranking components reduces the expected and, for the most part, realized, incidence of social choice violations. Further, the results suggest that the EWB index rankings should potentially be interpreted in terms of rank tiers rather than in terms of individual rankings.

The environmental drivers of bacterial meningitis epidemics in the Democratic Republic of Congo, central Africa.

IntroductionBacterial meningitis still constitutes an important threat in Africa. In the meningitis belt, a clear seasonal pattern in the incidence of meningococcal disease during the dry season has been previously correlated with several environmental parameters like dust and sand particles as well as the Harmattan winds. In parallel, the evidence of seasonality in meningitis dynamics and its environmental variables remain poorly studied outside the meningitis belt. This study explores several environmental factors associated with meningitis cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), central Africa, outside the meningitis belt area.MethodsNon-parametric Kruskal-Wallis’ tests were used to establish the difference between the different health zones, climate and vegetation types in relation to both the number of cases and attack rates for the period 2000–2018. The relationships between the number of meningitis cases for the different health zones and environmental and socio-economical parameters collected were modeled using different generalized linear (GLMs) and generalized linear mixed models (GLMMs), and different error structure in the different models, i.e., Poisson, binomial negative, zero-inflated binomial negative and more elaborated multi-hierarchical zero-inflated binomial negative models, with randomization of certain parameters or factors (health zones, vegetation and climate types). Comparing the different statistical models, the model with the smallest Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) were selected as the best ones. 515 different health zones from 26 distinct provinces were considered for the construction of the different GLM and GLMM models.ResultsNon-parametric bivariate statistics showed that there were more meningitis cases in urban health zones than in rural conditions (χ2 = 6.910, p-value = 0.009), in areas dominated by savannah landscape than in areas with dense forest or forest in mountainous areas (χ2 = 15.185, p-value = 0.001), and with no significant difference between climate types (χ2 = 1.211, p-value = 0,449). Additionally, no significant difference was observed for attack rate between the two types of heath zones (χ2 = 0.982, p-value = 0.322). Conversely, strong differences in attack rate values were obtained for vegetation types (χ2 = 13.627, p-value = 0,001) and climate types (χ2 = 13.627, p-value = 0,001). This work demonstrates that, all other parameters kept constant, an urban health zone located at high latitude and longitude eastwards, located at low-altitude like in valley ecosystems predominantly covered by savannah biome, with a humid tropical climate are at higher risk for the development of meningitis. In addition, the regions with mean range temperature and a population with a low index of economic well-being (IEW) constitute the perfect conditions for the development of meningitis in DRC.ConclusionIn a context of global environmental change, particularly climate change, our findings tend to show that an interplay of different environmental and socio-economic drivers are important to consider in the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis epidemics in DRC. This information is important to help improving meningitis control strategies in a large country located outside of the so-called meningitis belt.

Blood Pressure in Andean Adults Living Permanently at Different Altitudes.

Vinueza Veloz, Andrés Fernando, Aymaru Kailli Yaulema Riss, Chris I. De Zeeuw, Tannia Valeria Carpio Arias, and María Fernanda Vinueza Veloz. Blood pressure in Andean adults living permanently at different altitudes. High Alt Med Biol. 21:360-369, 2020. Aims: To estimate the association between blood pressure (BP) and chronic exposure to altitude in nonhypertensive Andean adults, while taking ethnicity into consideration. Materials and Methods: Sample included 10,041 nonhypertensive adults with indigenous or mixed ethnic background (the latter also referred to as mestizos), who permanently lived at different altitudes. BP was measured following international recommendations. Altitude was measured in meters above the sea level (masl) using a global positioning system. Data were analyzed through linear regression models with restricted cubic splines. Results: A significant nonlinear relation between altitude and systolic blood pressure (SBP) as well as diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was found (both p < 0.001). BP described a j-shaped curve, where the minimum was observed between 750 and 1250 masl, from where both SBP and DBP rose as altitude increased. These associations were independent from sex, age, index of economic wellbeing, body mass index, and years of education. Interestingly, at all altitudes indigenous people had lower SBP and DBP in comparison to mestizos (both p < 0.001). Conclusions: Living permanently at altitudes ≥750 masl is associated with higher SBP and DBP in Andean dwellers and this association is modulated by their ethnic background.

Structural Changes and the Index of Economic Well-being: Empirical Evidence from the Iranian Economy

It is a well-established empirical fact that economic growth and development brings about major changes in sectorial output, employment, and consumption structure. In the context of economic development discussion, structural change refers to the change in key components of macroeconomic indicators, including national production and expenditure, exports and imports, population, and the sectorial composition of labor. Considering the importance of human capital for economic growth and development, the most important of the above factors is the labor market and the sectorial composition of employment. Another important dimension of economic development is economic well-being. In this study, we formulated and calculated two indicators called the Coefficient of Structural Change of Iran (CSCI) and the Index of Economic Well-Being of Iran (IEWBI), and then used the vector autoregressive (VAR) modeling method and the software EViews v.10 to analyze the impact of structural changes of Iranian economy on IEWBI. The results indicate the positive effect of structural changes and therefore development policies on the economic well-being of Iran when the weighting scheme of IEWBI was biased in favor of the consumption flow dimension, and the negative effect in other cases. JEL: C39, I31, O11.

Perception of Beninese on intimate partner violence: evidence from 2011-2012 Benin demographic health survey

BackgroundViolence against women remains an important issue of inequality in African societies, with several consequences to health, social and economic status. This study aims to identify the factors related to the perception of intimate partner violence in Benin.MethodsData on intimate partner violence was collected by conducting live interviews, and from the Benin Demographic and Health Survey 2012. The dependent variable was acceptance of intimate partner violence. The independent variables were socio-demographic features such as age, level of education, matrimonial status, ethnicity, religion, place of residence and the index of economic well-being. Logistic regressions were performed and odds ratios (OR) with a confidence interval of 95% (CI95%) were estimated.ResultsAmong the 21,574 people who answered the questions relating to violence against women by an intimate partner, the prevalence of acceptance of intimate partner violence was 15.77%. Ethnicity, level of education, administrative department of residence, religion, and socio-economic quintile were factors associated with the respondents’ acceptance of violence against women by an intimate partner.ConclusionAcceptance of intimate partner violence could be a major obstacle to the success of some health programs. There is a need to break the norms that support the vulnerability of women in Beninese society.

ÍNDICE DE BEM-ESTAR ECONÔMICO: UMA PROPOSTA PARA OS ESTADOS BRASILEIROS

O presente artigo tem por objetivo a construção de um Índice de Bem-Estar Econômico (IBEE) para as unidades da federação brasileira, considerando os anos de 2002 e 2008. Especificamente, busca-se verificar os níveis de bem-estar econômico e de seus subcomponentes, além de compará-los entre os estados brasileiros. O índice proposto foi composto por quatro dimensões distintas: “Fluxos de consumo”, “Riqueza real – Legado intergeracional”, “Equidade” e “Seguridade econômica”. Os principais resultados demonstraram que, independentemente da ponderação utilizada, Santa Catarina foi o estado brasileiro que apresentou o maior bem-estar econômico em relação aos demais. Por outro lado, Alagoas foi o estado com pior desempenho, ocupando a última posição do ranking em todas as análises. Considerando a necessidade de construção de uma medida sintética de bem-estar econômico e tendo em vista a relevância de indicadores para subsidiar a implementação e monitoramento de políticas públicas, o IBEE apresenta-se como um índice capaz de mensurar de maneira mais adequada os distintos aspectos associados a um padrão de vida decente.

Alternatives to GDP - Measuring the impact of natural disasters using panel data

A frequent criticism of GDP states that events that obviously reduce welfare of people can nevertheless increase GDP per capita. We use data of natural disasters as quasi experiments to examine whether alternatives to GDP (Human Development Index, Progress Index, Index of Economic Well-Being and a Happiness Index) lead to more plausible responses to disasters. Applying a Differences-in-Differences approach and estimates from various panels of countries we find no noteworthy differences between the response of real GDP per capita and the responses of suggested alternative welfare measures to a natural disaster except for the Human Development Index.

Intergenerational Mobility and Gender in Mexico

This article studies intergenerational socioeconomic mobility in Mexico comparing men and women. In contrast to most sociological work that uses individual-level measures to proxy family socioeconomic status, we use a direct measure of family living standards for both generations, based on an index of economic well-being. Strong intergenerational persistence is found in Mexico compared to other countries. Persistence is stronger for men than women, particularly among advantaged families. The role of education in the mobility process is examined. Findings indicate that “excess immobility” of men is not mediated by education. Wider gender differences among married/cohabiting than single respondents suggests parents are more likely to transfer socioeconomic resources to their married sons than married daughters. We argue for the advantages of measuring socioeconomic status directly at the household level, and of evaluating gender differences to gain insight about mobility mechanisms.

Eurovisionness: Vision of Europe and GDP

A discussion on country’s development and economic growth is often related to its interconnectedness with other countries. While there are several measures of countries interconnectedness presented in the literature, none of them is asymmetric or time-varying. We propose a new measure, so called "Eurovisionness" or ESC-measure, which overcomes these drawbacks and incorporates different dimensions of the interactions (geographical, cultural, political, and economic). This measure is based on the point distribution across countries within the Eurovision Song Contest (Eurovision). Based on the Eurovision voting patterns we build a measure of country’s relative position in the network. Our results show that after controlling for conventional explanatory variables of GDP there is a significant positive impact of country interconnectedness measured via the Eurovisionness on the GDP growth rate. We confirm thoroughly the similar positive effects of ESC on the Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB).

Beyond GDP: Conceptual Grounds of Quantification. The Case of the Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB)

Today, though the need for new indicators of progress is broadly recognized, no consensus has arisen on a successor to gross domestic product (GDP). Various quantification options are debated. While some intend to improve current indicators by completing or adjusting them to new constraints, others think that new indicators of progress are liable, if well-designed, to catalyse a transition toward a new societal model, less reliant on growth. Up to now, the normative stakes related to quantification options, though crucial for “what we measure affects what we do”, are scattered among the debates and do not appear clearly to actors. Our paper aims therefore to offer a systematic understanding of the normative impacts of generic quantification choices. To that end, we analyse the index of economic well-being (IEWB). For each dimension of this composite indicator, the analysis—which aims to be easily transposed to other indicators—sheds light on the variety of normative implications resulting from its conceptual and methodological apparatus. This concomitantly leads us to question in depth the relevance of some theoretical hypotheses underlying the IEWB to coherently account for economic, social and ecological issues. The paper’s conclusion suggests that alternative conceptual frameworks, such as ecological economics and the capability approach, are liable to carry more coherent indicators of progress.

Stability and Vulnerability of the Latin American Middle Class

Using panel data-sets from Mexico and Chile for the first years of the 21st century, the authors examine the determinants of middle-class intra-generational mobility. The middle class is defined by means of a latent index of economic well-being that is less sensitive to short-term fluctuation and measurement error than standard measures of income. The authors find high rates of both upward and downward mobility in Mexico and Chile, indicating that the middle class has opportunities to move to higher levels of well-being but is also vulnerable to falling into poverty. In both countries, labour-market resources (education and occupational status of the household head and number of members in the labour market) are much stronger determinants of mobility than demographic factors, suggesting the importance of policies that foster human capital and protect workers from shocks. Rural middle-class households are substantially more vulnerable to falling into poverty and have little chance of advancing to upper classes than their urban counterparts.

Partisanship, state intervention and economic well-being in 13 developed countries, 1980–2000

The comparative political economy of developed countries has often neglected the growing interest in producing well-being indicators that go beyond GDP. This was largely due to lack of reliable and comparable data. In spite of this, Osberg and Sharpe have recently provided a time-series cross-section data set of the Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB) for selected OECD countries. Accordingly, this article tries to plug the current gap between the comparative political economy and well-being literature by presenting an empirical study about the impact of partisanship and state intervention on the IEWB and its four domains (that is, consumption flows, stocks of wealth, economic equality, economic security). A main lesson can be drawn from the econometric analysis: left cabinets and their favorite policies increase stocks of wealth, economic equality and economic security, rather than consumption flows. This means that leftist governments do not promote the current prosperity of a typical citizen but the future and widespread well-being of most population.

Je HDP vhodným ukazatelem ekonomické výkonnosti a sociálního pokroku v podmínkách globalizace?

The article deals with the ability of the indicator to interpret and capture economic performance, social progress and sustainable economic growth. Given the fact that the construction of indicators such as does not monitor the quality of population, environmental changes or changes in stocks of non-renewable natural resources, it is necessary to take this into account (GDP is primarily an aggregate of production) and look for indicators that would allow a more complex analysis of not only economic performance, but also its social and environmental aspects. Some proposals for how to assess the sustainability of economic growth are summed up in the second part of the paper. This part of the paper is also devoted to the description of the Index of Economic Well-Being (Sharpe, Osberg). This section deals with the possibilities of measurement of households´ living standards and it also describes the Index of Economic Welfare (Sharpe, Osberg). This index takes account of other aspects of households’ quality of life (social inequality, social risks, etc.). The substance of a controversial problem called phantom GDP (imaginary GDP) is introduced in the last section of the paper. This effect has been described by some authors in connection with possible impacts of globalization on economic performance. The effect of phantom GDP is associated with a potential impact of outsourcing and offshoring on economic performance of home countries of multinational companies.

GDP and Economic Well-being: New Evidence from Selected Developed Countries

GDP per capita often used in judgment about countries economic well-being, but any judgment based on it ignores some issues, therefore argues that a better index of economic well-being is IEWB (Index of Economic Well-being). Stevenson and Wolfers (2008), and Osberg and Sharpe (2001), mentioned that there is a positive relationship between GDP per capita and IEWB .in this paper we study a causal relationship between them; to this purpose we use the data of selected high income countries during 1980-2007.Finding shows that GDP is granger causal of IEWB except Norway that there aren’t any causal relationship between GDP and IEWB.

Construction and Evolution of a Multidimensional Well-Being Index for the Spanish Regions

The study presented here is an attempt to calculate a comparative multidimensional index of economic well-being for the Spanish Autonomous Communities. Based on the dimensions of adjusted consumption, real wealth, equity and economic security per inhabitant, we obtain one relative index using a system of uniform weightings, a second resulting from a factor analysis and a third provided by a DEA analysis. We elaborate the index for the year 2000 and for 2006, thereby providing the relative results with greater robustness and permitting some conclusions to be reached with regard to the evolution over time of the index.

The new indicators of well-being and development

List of Tables List of Figures List of Acronyms and Abbreviations Introduction The Search for Alternative Indicators GDP and Growth Called into Question Human Development and Social Progress The First Extensions of GDP Environmental GDPs and the Ecological Footprint The Index of Economic Well-Being Evaluating the Indicators Sustainable Human Development and National Accounts in the Twenty-First Century Conclusion Notes References Index

HOW SHOULD WE MEASURE THE "ECONOMIC" ASPECTS OF WELL-BEING?

The Human Development Index (HDI) uses GDP per capita to measure “command over resources,” which implicitly makes the strong value judgment that inequality and insecurity do not matter. This paper presents revised estimates of the Index of Economic Well-Being (IEWB) for the United States, the U.K., Canada, Australia, Germany, Norway and Sweden for the period 1980 to 2001 and demonstrates that replacing an index of the log per capita incomes with our IEWB as the “command over resources” component in the Human Development Index (HDI) affects the level and trend of the HDI, even among affluent nations. Because the IEWB recognizes four dimensions of command over resources (Current effective per capita Consumption flows, Net societal Accumulation of stocks of productive resources, Income Distribution and Economic Security), its use has a particularly large impact where underlying trends in these components diverge (e.g. the U.K. or the United States).