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Effects of Government Characteristics on the Quality of Life

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  • Chae-jeong Lee

    (National Assembly Futures Institute)

Abstract

This article examines how the characteristics of a government, which are defined in terms of the quality, size, and function of the government, influence the quality of life of its citizens by applying fuzzy-set analysis on data from OECD countries. The results show that the quality of life is enhanced when the quality of the government, or its policy effectiveness, is maintained at a certain level, while an increase in government size, spending, and intervention has a negative impact. Compared to when the government is actively involved in producing public goods, when the government's quality and size are at a certain optimal level, it is observed that the quality of life is enhanced when the economy is stabilized by a market mechanism and security is guaranteed both internally and externally. Therefore, this result indicates that without economic and social stability, the expansion of social policy is unlikely to have a positive impact on improving the quality of life as intended.

Suggested Citation

  • Chae-jeong Lee, 2021. "Effects of Government Characteristics on the Quality of Life," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 157(2), pages 563-579, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:157:y:2021:i:2:d:10.1007_s11205-021-02675-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-021-02675-x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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