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Paradox Lost?

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  • Easterlin, Richard A.

Abstract

Or Paradox Regained? Critics from three different disciplines have recently claimed that the Easterlin Paradox is not supported by time-series analysis. New data for both the United States and countries worldwide, however, confirm that long-term trends in growth rates of happiness and real GDP per capita are not significantly positively related. The evidence indicates that it is Paradox Regained. The principal reasons that the critics reach a different conclusion is that they misinterpret the Paradox, omit available data, overlook problems of data comparability, err in the measurement of economic growth, or, most importantly, fail to focus on long-term rather than short-term growth rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Easterlin, Richard A., 2017. "Paradox Lost?," Review of Behavioral Economics, now publishers, vol. 4(4), pages 311-339, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:now:jnlrbe:105.00000068
    DOI: 10.1561/105.00000068
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    1. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/7fst0pcf5j8cr99e1nuobt97rn is not listed on IDEAS
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    10. Nauro F. Campos & Abrizio Coricelli, 2002. "Growth in Transition: What We Know, What We Don't, and What We Should," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 40(3), pages 793-836, September.
    11. Jan-Emmanuel De Neve & George Ward & Femke De Keulenaer & Bert Van Landeghem & Georgios Kavetsos & Michael I. Norton, 2018. "The Asymmetric Experience of Positive and Negative Economic Growth: Global Evidence Using Subjective Well-Being Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 100(2), pages 362-375, May.
    12. Ruut Veenhoven & Floris Vergunst, 2014. "The Easterlin illusion: economic growth does go with greater happiness," International Journal of Happiness and Development, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 1(4), pages 311-343.
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    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Paradox Lost?
      by maximorossi in NEP-LTV blog on 2016-02-19 01:06:22

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    Cited by:

    1. Neila Ben Afia and Sana Harbi, 2017. "Empirical Analysis of the Relationship between Military Endeavor, Economic Growth and Happiness," Journal of Economic Development, Chung-Ang Unviersity, Department of Economics, vol. 42(2), pages 51-66, June.
    2. Maguire, Karen & Winters, John V., 2016. "Energy Boom and Gloom? Local Effects of Oil and Natural Gas Drilling on Subjective Well-Being," IZA Discussion Papers 9811, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Nikolova, Milena, 2016. "Happiness and Development," IZA Discussion Papers 10088, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Obschonka, Martin & Stuetzer, Michael & Peter, Rentfrow & Jeff, Potter & Samuel, Gosling, 2017. "Did Strategic Bombing in the Second World War lead to ‘German Angst’? A large-scale empirical test across 89 German cities," MPRA Paper 83680, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Easterlin Paradox; comparative political economy; economic growth; income; happiness; life satisfaction; subjective well-being; transition countries; less developed countries; developed countries; long-term; short-term; trends; fluctuations;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • D60 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - General
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • O5 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies

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