Suchergebnisse

Although most traditional economic theory puts the individual at the centre of analysis, more recent approaches have acknowledged the importance of a wider sense of identity as a determinant of individual behaviour. Whether it is ethnicity, religion or gender, group membership is a central part of human life. This book presents new advances in areas which consider both the individual and the group when measuring inequalities and well-being.The first part of the book covers topics such as relative deprivation and happiness, domains where even economists have now recognized the

Why study the economy? -- The evolving economy and economics -- Markets as economic institutions : supply and demand -- Governments and nonprofits as economic institutions -- The twin problems of unemployment and underemployment -- The kitchen table economy : keeping up with rising costs -- Economic growth and human development -- The rise of income inequality -- Gender, race, and ethnic disparities -- Poverty, food security, and self sufficiency -- Wealth, assets, and household debt -- Economic stabilization policies -- Policies to address disparities.

AbstractMeasuring the well-being of individuals is a significant challenge for social scientists, policy makers, and suppliers of social programming, since well-being consists of many dimensions that are difficult to measure, both individually and collectively. Moreover, the relative contribution of each of the various aspects to overall well-being is unknown. We try to answer this challenge using the methodology of Benjamin et al. (Am Econ Rev 104(9):2698–2735, 2014) and using a survey that measures preferences over 27 aspects of individual well-being. We provide estimates of these preferences for a representative sample of the Israeli population. We also document heterogeneity in preferences for respondents with different current levels of well-being and for different demographic groups. For some aspects of well-being, we provide evidence of decreasing marginal utility. For other aspects, we find evidence for what appears to be an increasing marginal utility but we argue that it likely reflects an endogenous determination of the level of well-being. We discuss the policy implications of our findings and how our results could be aggregated to a well-being index that could be used to evaluate and compare the effects of different policy interventions.

The impact of shift and night work on health shows a high inter- and intra-individual variability, both in terms of kind of troubles and temporal occurrence, related to various intervening factors dealing with individual characteristics, lifestyles, work demands, company organisation, family relations and social conditions. The way we define "health" and "well-being" can significantly influence appraisals, outcomes and interventions. As the goal is the optimisation of shiftworkers' health, it is necessary to go beyond the health protection and to act for health promotion. In this perspective, not only people related to medical sciences, but many other actors (ergonomists, psychologists, sociologists, educators, legislators), as well as shiftworkers themselves. Many models have been proposed aimed at describing the intervening variables mediating and/or moderating the effects; they try to define the interactions and the pathways connecting risk factors and outcomes through several human dimensions, which refer to physiology, psychology, pathology, sociology, ergonomics, economics, politics, and ethics. So, different criteria can be used to evaluate shiftworkers' health and well-being, starting from biological rhythms and ending in severe health disorders, passing through psychological strain, job dissatisfaction, family perturbation and social dis-adaptation, both in the short- and long-term. Consequently, it appears rather arbitrary to focus the problem of shiftworkers' health and tolerance only on specific aspects (e.g. individual characteristics), but a systemic approach appears more appropriate, able to match as many variables as possible, and aimed at defining which factors are the most relevant for those specific work and social conditions. This can support a more effective and profitable (for individuals, companies, and society) adoption of preventive and compensative measures, that must refer more to "countervalues" rather than to "counterweights".

O impacto do trabalho noturno e em turnos sobre a saúde demonstra ter grande variabilidade entre os indivíduos e num mesmo indivíduo, em termos tanto dos tipos de problemas como da ocorrência temporal, relativas a vários fatores interferentes como características pessoais, estilo de vida, exigências do trabalho, organização da empresa, relações familiares e condição social. O modo como "saúde" e "bem-estar" são definidos pode interferir significativamente com a avaliação, resultados e intervenções. Como o objetivo é otimizar a saúde dos trabalhadores em turnos, é necessário ir além da proteção da saúde e agir para a promoção da saúde e ter a participação de não apenas profissionais da área das ciências médicas, mas também outros agentes (ergonomistas, psicólogos, sociólogos, educadores, legisladores), assim como dos próprios trabalhadores. Foram propostos vários modelos com o propósito de descrever as variáveis interferentes que intermedeiam e/ou moderam os efeitos. Esses modelos buscam definir as interações e conexões entre os fatores de risco e resultados por meio de várias dimensões humanas, que remetem à fisiologia, psicologia, sociologia, ergonomia, economia, política e ética. Assim, podem ser usados diferentes critérios para avaliar a saúde e o bem-estar dos trabalhadores em turnos, de ritmos biológicos a graves transtornos de saúde, passando por tensão psicológica, insatisfação no trabalho, transtorno familiar e má adaptação social a curto e longo prazo. Como resultado, parece um tanto arbitrário enfocar o problema da saúde e tolerância dos trabalhadores em turnos apenas sob aspectos específicos (por exemplo, características pessoais) e parece ser mais apropriada uma abordagem sistemática, capaz de combinar o maior número possível de variáveis e direcionada a definir os fatores mais relevantes aos tipos particulares de trabalho e condições sociais. Isso pode servir de respaldo para a adoção de medidas preventivas e compensatórias mais eficazes e proveitosas (para indivíduos, empresas e sociedade) que precisam remeter mais a "contravalores" do que a "contrapesos". ; The impact of shift and night work on health shows a high inter- and intra-individual variability, both in terms of kind of troubles and temporal occurrence, related to various intervening factors dealing with individual characteristics, lifestyles, work demands, company organisation, family relations and social conditions. The way we define "health" and "well-being" can significantly influence appraisals, outcomes and interventions. As the goal is the optimisation of shiftworkers' health, it is necessary to go beyond the health protection and to act for health promotion. In this perspective, not only people related to medical sciences, but many other actors (ergonomists, psychologists, sociologists, educators, legislators), as well as shiftworkers themselves. Many models have been proposed aimed at describing the intervening variables mediating and/or moderating the effects; they try to define the interactions and the pathways connecting risk factors and outcomes through several human dimensions, which refer to physiology, psychology, pathology, sociology, ergonomics, economics, politics, and ethics. So, different criteria can be used to evaluate shiftworkers' health and well-being, starting from biological rhythms and ending in severe health disorders, passing through psychological strain, job dissatisfaction, family perturbation and social dis-adaptation, both in the short- and long-term. Consequently, it appears rather arbitrary to focus the problem of shiftworkers' health and tolerance only on specific aspects (e.g. individual characteristics), but a systemic approach appears more appropriate, able to match as many variables as possible, and aimed at defining which factors are the most relevant for those specific work and social conditions. This can support a more effective and profitable (for individuals, companies, and society) adoption of preventive and compensative measures, that must refer more to "countervalues" rather than to "counterweights".

Preface -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Editors and Contributors -- 1 Conceptualizing a Community Well-Being and Theory Construct -- Abstract -- Related and Relevant Concepts -- Relevant Theories -- Conceptualization: Community Well-Being -- Defining Community Well-Being -- Development of a Community Well-Being Construct -- Conclusion -- References -- 2 Structure of Well-Being: An Exploratory Study of the Distinction Between Individual Well-Being and Community Well-Being and the Importance of Intersubjective Community Well-Being -- Abstract -- Introduction -- Limits of Previous Indicators

Taking into account the relevance subjective well-being has acquired in international research and political agendas in the last decade, this dissertation explores people's judgements and feelings as an essential part of our understanding of well-being in Chile. Subjective well-being is understood as the perception that people have of their own lives and the context in which they are living. That perception includes life satisfaction evaluations, positive and negative feelings and assessments about their social environment. This thesis argues that a broader assessment of well-being in Chile should include subjective well-being analyses, examining people's living conditions beyond the classical macroeconomic indicators such as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and National Household Incomes. Several studies covering subjective well-being in Chile have demonstrated that Chilean people experience higher levels of life satisfaction and happiness, but they have neglected to explore a wider notion of subjective well-being. In contrast with international evidence focused on psychological subjective well-being and the interactions between people's perceptions and views on their societies, national research still understands subjective well-being as a sum of pleasurable emotions and feelings taking place at an individual level exclusively. Tackling those limitations, this dissertation contributes with a multidimensional subjective well-being analysis underpinned by the Positive Psychology and the Capability Approach and supported by three empirical studies. The first study examines subjective well-being in Chile accounting for the classical hedonic aspect including life satisfaction and happiness, but also involving a eudaimonic component measured by people's freedom of choice and having meaningful lives and purposes. The second study explores how Chileans' subjective well-being might be affected by their perceptions towards their society, accounting for their level of confidence in national political institutions and generalised trust. Finally, the third empirical chapter examines how well-being is impacted by three sets of capabilities related to material living conditions and promoted by Chilean social policy as key aspects for achieving Chileans' well-being. In turn, the results supported that subjective well-being is well reflected by the hedonic dimension, but also by a wider psychological well-being close to human flourishing. People's perceptions towards their social environment showed a higher effect on subjective well-being. Societal matters and social policies might positively or negatively influence people's evaluations and feelings; therefore, the notion of subjective well-being as an individual state should be reviewed, recognising that contextual aspects make a difference. Finally, some core aspects of social policy in Chile such as having access to healthcare, shelter, income and work were revealed to be crucial to achieving well-being, but are not enough for meaningful lives. Moreover, the findings also suggest that those aspects do not have the same relevance for all Chileans, indeed, according to specific demographic and socioeconomic attributes; there are some more relevant than others, supporting evidence for a more focalised national social policy in the future.

The paper reviews problems of the social well-being phenomenon research. It presents different approaches to interpretation of the term (ethical and philosophical, socio political, economic, psychological, medical, ecological, and social approaches). The authors make a point that term "well-being" is bipolar, its understanding stretches from unwellness sick to such positive feeling as happiness and enthusiasm. We review well-being components obtained during the research held in Gallup Institute (professional well-being, financial well-being, well-being in the living environment). The work also considers reasons for increase in the number of research on social well-being at the contemporary stage. Emphasis is placed upon the worldview component of social well-being. The pedagogical problem for study of the courses "Social Well-being" and "Modern Theories of Social Well-being" is outlined. Social indicators issues are reviewed as major tools for diagnostics of the state of a complex, multidimensional, dynamic society and a variety of social processes and conditions. The issue of a social well-being subjective aspect is addressed. Social indicators are viewed as main tools to diagnose complex, multidimensional, dynamic society, variety of social processes and phenomenon.