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Are Subjective Questions on Welfare Appropriate during Crises ? Evidence from the Onsetof Conflict in the Republic of Yemen

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  • Tandon,Sharad Alan

Abstract

Subjective questions on welfare, such as satisfaction with particular welfare dimensions, areincreasingly being used to measure changes in well-being during crises. Although subjective questions on welfare havewell-known limitations, it is possible that analyzing changes in response to large events can address some ofthese concerns. However, this paper illustrates a new difficulty in interpreting changes in such measures intumultuous circumstances. Specifically, crises can impact both the scale with which households report their subjectiveassessments and the behaviors from which deprivations are traditionally inferred, and it is unclear how wellsubjective measures align with traditional welfare metrics in such a setting. This paper demonstrates the importance ofthis issue following the onset of the conflict in the Republic of Yemen, which caused large declines in nearly alltraditional measures of well-being. However, the findings show that households reported a large increase insatisfaction in the same welfare dimensions where deprivations increased.

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  • Tandon,Sharad Alan, 2022. "Are Subjective Questions on Welfare Appropriate during Crises ? Evidence from the Onsetof Conflict in the Republic of Yemen," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10178, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10178
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    1. Tandon, Sharad & Vishwanath, Tara, 2021. "How well is humanitarian assistance targeted in fragile environments? Evidence from the announcement of a food emergency in Yemen," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    2. Beegle, Kathleen & Himelein, Kristen & Ravallion, Martin, 2012. "Frame-of-reference bias in subjective welfare," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 81(2), pages 556-570.
    3. Broussard, Nzinga H. & Tandon, Sharad, 2016. "Food Insecurity Measures: Experience-Based Versus Nutrition-Based Evidence From India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia," Economic Research Report 262189, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    4. Sharad Tandon, 2019. "When Rebels Attack: Quantifying the Impacts of Capturing Territory from the Government in Yemen," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 33(2), pages 328-352.
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