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Are economic growth and well-being compatible? Welfare reform and life satisfaction in Japan
[Childcare expansion in East Asia: Changing shape of the institutional configurations in Japan and South Korea]

Author

Listed:
  • Francesco Sarracino
  • Kelsey J O’Connor
  • Hiroshi Ono

Abstract

Whether economic growth improves the human lot is a matter of conditions. We focus on Japan, a country which shifted in the 1990s from a pattern of rampant economic growth and stagnant well-being, to one of modest growth and increasing well-being. We discuss concurrent policy reforms and analyse the changes in well-being. In particular, we assess whether the correlates of the increase in well-being are consistent with those expected from the reforms. We apply Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition to World Values Survey data. Results show that improved conditions for the elderly, parents and women, that is the primary groups targeted by the reforms, correlate with well-being increases. This evidence is consistent with the hypothesis that social safety nets can make economic growth compatible with sustained increases in well-being.

Suggested Citation

  • Francesco Sarracino & Kelsey J O’Connor & Hiroshi Ono, 2022. "Are economic growth and well-being compatible? Welfare reform and life satisfaction in Japan [Childcare expansion in East Asia: Changing shape of the institutional configurations in Japan and South," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 74(3), pages 721-745.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:oxecpp:v:74:y:2022:i:3:p:721-745.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/oep/gpab038
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Lucia Petrikovičová & Victoria Kurilenko & Amantius Akimjak & Beáta Akimjaková & Peter Majda & Anton Ďatelinka & Yulia Biryukova & Ľubomír Hlad & Peter Kondrla & Daliborka Maryanovich & Lyubov Ippolit, 2022. "Is the Size of the City Important for the Quality of Urban Life? Comparison of a Small and a Large City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-17, November.
    2. Călin Vâlsan & Elena Druică & Zizi Goschin & Rodica Ianole-Călin, 2024. "The Perception of Economic Growth and the Romanian “Mioritic Syndrome”," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 15(1), pages 3718-3739, March.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • H50 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - General
    • O53 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Asia including Middle East
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General

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