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Buen Vivir (living well) in Ecuador: Community and environmental satisfaction without household material prosperity?

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  • Guardiola, Jorge
  • García-Quero, Fernando

Abstract

This paper provides a quantitative approach to assessing whether the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of Ecuadorian people is dependent on income and employment or on more distinctive features relating to Buen Vivir ethos. The latter are reflected in the indigenous Buen Vivir ideology, based mainly on relations with the community, the environment and food sovereignty. The empirical analysis shows that both Buen Vivir features and factors such as income and unemployment status are significant in the models explaining SWB. Accordingly, economic policies should take into account the Buen Vivir ethos, that seems to be important for the SWB of the Ecuadorian people. This supports the conservationist political position, which focuses on protecting the environment and people's traditional livelihoods, rather than the extractive view, which regards people's welfare as merely dependent on income.

Suggested Citation

  • Guardiola, Jorge & García-Quero, Fernando, 2014. "Buen Vivir (living well) in Ecuador: Community and environmental satisfaction without household material prosperity?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 177-184.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:107:y:2014:i:c:p:177-184
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2014.07.032
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    Cited by:

    1. Cappelli, Federica & Caravaggio, Nicola & Vaquero-Piñeiro, Cristina, 2022. "Buen Vivir and forest conservation in Bolivia: False promises or effective change?," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    2. Mero-Figueroa, Marina & Galdeano-Gómez, Emilio & Piedra-Muñoz, Laura & Obaco, Moisés, 2020. "Measuring well-being: A Buen Vivir (living well) indicator for Ecuador," MPRA Paper 119912, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Noelia Somarriba Arechavala & Pilar Zarzosa Espina & Ana Teresa López Pastor, 2022. "The Importance of the Neighbourhood Environment and Social Capital for Happiness in a Vulnerable District: The Case of the Pajarillos District in Spain," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(5), pages 1941-1965, June.
    4. Fernando García-Quero & Jorge Guardiola, 2018. "Economic Poverty and Happiness in Rural Ecuador: the Importance of Buen Vivir (Living Well)," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 13(4), pages 909-926, December.
    5. Villalba-Eguiluz, C. Unai & Etxano, Iker, 2017. "Buen Vivir vs Development (II): The Limits of (Neo-)Extractivism," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 1-11.
    6. Marina Mero-Figueroa & Emilio Galdeano-Gómez & Laura Piedra-Muñoz & Moisés Obaco, 2020. "Measuring Well-Being: A Buen Vivir (Living Well) Indicator for Ecuador," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 152(1), pages 265-287, November.
    7. Claus Jacob, 2024. "Infinite Affluence on a Finite Planet," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-14, September.
    8. Amy R. Riley-Powell & Gwenyth O. Lee & Nehal S. Naik & Kelly E. Jensen & Christina O’Neal & Gabriela Salmón-Mulanovich & Stella M. Hartinger & Daniel G. Bausch & Valerie A. Paz-Soldan, 2018. "The Impact of Road Construction on Subjective Well-Being in Communities in Madre de Dios, Peru," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Subjective wellbeing; Economic policies; Environmental protection; Community; Food sovereignty; Buen Vivir;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I38 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Government Programs; Provision and Effects of Welfare Programs
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products

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