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From Volokh.com
Government vs. Happiness?
Does an increase in the size of government come at the expense of individual happiness? Does limited government increase self-reported measures of the quality of life? A study by three Swiss economists recently posted to SSRN suggests the answer is "yes." In the authors' words: "government involvement is detrimental to individuals’ quality of life."
Here is the abstract for the paper, "The Bigger the Better? Evidence of the Effect of Government Size on Life Satisfaction around the World":
"This paper empirically analyzes the question whether government involvement in the economy is conducive or detrimental to life satisfaction in a cross-section of 74 countries. This provides a test of a longstanding dispute between standard neoclassical economic theory, which predicts that government plays an unambiguously positive role for individuals' quality of life, and public choice theory, that was developed to understand why governments often choose excessive involvement and regulation, thereby harming voters' quality of life. Our results show that life satisfaction decreases with higher government spending. This negative impact of the government is stronger in countries with a leftwing median voter. It is alleviated by government effectiveness - but only in countries where the state sector is already small."
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From WSJ Online:
Barrio Study Links Land Ownership To a Better Life
Why Some Squatters Thrive, While Others Lose Hope
Interest in titling has been sparked by Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, whose best-selling books argue that guaranteeing urban property rights is a precondition for alleviating urban poverty. Marginalized people can use land titles as collateral to obtain bank loans and to participate more fully in the economy, he says. Mr. de Soto has a host of prominent international supporters, including Bill Clinton, who a few years ago joined the Peruvian in Ghana for the launch of a titling program.
Governments throughout Latin America, as well as in countries like South Africa, Turkey and Thailand, have experimented with Mr. de Soto's ideas. Multinational organizations such as the World Bank have loaned hundreds of millions of dollars to support such projects.
The way San Francisco Solano was settled makes it a "natural experiment" for testing titling's effect. "It's a dream kind of empirical study...a treasure," says Nobel Prize-winning economist Douglass C. North, a specialist in property rights at Washington University in St. Louis.
i talked to my older brother for many many many hours tonight. like the many Shackelfords before him, he is considering leaving the state of Georgia forever once his health is in better condition. before i left, my plan was to always move back after law school. however, the move turned out to be the best things for me, and i think i would miss it here if i were to ever leave. i suggested that he come to Michigan, which would be awesome but then again probably selfish on my part. i miss my siblings, i miss the bond. he has the opportunity to travel and explore a little bit before he settles down. i'm excited for him to get better and to finally move on with his life. speaking of healthy people, my mom has approached another anniversary of being cancer free. i sent her flowers yesterday. and just a friendly reminder, keep checking your boobs. if you don't then i'm sure someone is more than willing to help you out.
i dropped t-mobile today. unfortunately, verizon would not let me port my Georgia number. so i have a fancy new Michigan number to go with my fancy new phone. ask for the number and i will give it to you through other secret channels.
other than that, i'm pretty happy. vegas baby!
Government vs. Happiness?
Does an increase in the size of government come at the expense of individual happiness? Does limited government increase self-reported measures of the quality of life? A study by three Swiss economists recently posted to SSRN suggests the answer is "yes." In the authors' words: "government involvement is detrimental to individuals’ quality of life."
Here is the abstract for the paper, "The Bigger the Better? Evidence of the Effect of Government Size on Life Satisfaction around the World":
"This paper empirically analyzes the question whether government involvement in the economy is conducive or detrimental to life satisfaction in a cross-section of 74 countries. This provides a test of a longstanding dispute between standard neoclassical economic theory, which predicts that government plays an unambiguously positive role for individuals' quality of life, and public choice theory, that was developed to understand why governments often choose excessive involvement and regulation, thereby harming voters' quality of life. Our results show that life satisfaction decreases with higher government spending. This negative impact of the government is stronger in countries with a leftwing median voter. It is alleviated by government effectiveness - but only in countries where the state sector is already small."
***
From WSJ Online:
Barrio Study Links Land Ownership To a Better Life
Why Some Squatters Thrive, While Others Lose Hope
Interest in titling has been sparked by Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto, whose best-selling books argue that guaranteeing urban property rights is a precondition for alleviating urban poverty. Marginalized people can use land titles as collateral to obtain bank loans and to participate more fully in the economy, he says. Mr. de Soto has a host of prominent international supporters, including Bill Clinton, who a few years ago joined the Peruvian in Ghana for the launch of a titling program.
Governments throughout Latin America, as well as in countries like South Africa, Turkey and Thailand, have experimented with Mr. de Soto's ideas. Multinational organizations such as the World Bank have loaned hundreds of millions of dollars to support such projects.
The way San Francisco Solano was settled makes it a "natural experiment" for testing titling's effect. "It's a dream kind of empirical study...a treasure," says Nobel Prize-winning economist Douglass C. North, a specialist in property rights at Washington University in St. Louis.
i talked to my older brother for many many many hours tonight. like the many Shackelfords before him, he is considering leaving the state of Georgia forever once his health is in better condition. before i left, my plan was to always move back after law school. however, the move turned out to be the best things for me, and i think i would miss it here if i were to ever leave. i suggested that he come to Michigan, which would be awesome but then again probably selfish on my part. i miss my siblings, i miss the bond. he has the opportunity to travel and explore a little bit before he settles down. i'm excited for him to get better and to finally move on with his life. speaking of healthy people, my mom has approached another anniversary of being cancer free. i sent her flowers yesterday. and just a friendly reminder, keep checking your boobs. if you don't then i'm sure someone is more than willing to help you out.
i dropped t-mobile today. unfortunately, verizon would not let me port my Georgia number. so i have a fancy new Michigan number to go with my fancy new phone. ask for the number and i will give it to you through other secret channels.
other than that, i'm pretty happy. vegas baby!