Next Article in Journal
Labour Standards in the Global Supply Chain: Workers’ Agency and Reciprocal Exchange Perspective
Previous Article in Journal
A Review of the Popular and Scholarly Accounts of Donald Trump’s White Working-Class Support in the 2016 US Presidential Election
Previous Article in Special Issue
Financial, Job and Health Satisfaction: A Comparative Approach on Working People
 
 
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
Article

Inequality and Life Satisfaction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Role of Opportunity

by
Teresa Maria García-Muñoz
1,*,
Juliette Milgram-Baleix
2 and
Omar Odeh-Odeh
2
1
Department of Quantitative Methods for the Economy and Business, Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain
2
Department of Theory and Economic History, University of Granada, 18011 Granada, Spain
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Societies 2019, 9(2), 37; https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9020037
Submission received: 4 April 2019 / Revised: 8 May 2019 / Accepted: 9 May 2019 / Published: 15 May 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Subjective Well-being Under the Scope of Public Policies)

Abstract

This study delves into the relationship between income inequality and subjective well-being by gauging the role played by opportunities at the country level. Using data from the World Value Survey, we estimate multilevel models to explain cross-country differences in individuals’ life satisfaction. Opportunity and inequality exert a significant effect per se on life satisfaction, and their joint effect explains the puzzling positive relationship between income inequality and life satisfaction in low- and middle-income countries. Income inequalities reduce the well-being of individuals if opportunities are low, but inequality is not relevant for life satisfaction if opportunities in the country are high. Among the aspects of opportunity that really matter, we show that inclusiveness and access to advanced education play a more major role than political freedom or personal rights. Results apply for different social, income, and education groups.
Keywords: life satisfaction; subjective well-being; income inequality; opportunity life satisfaction; subjective well-being; income inequality; opportunity

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

García-Muñoz, T.M.; Milgram-Baleix, J.; Odeh-Odeh, O. Inequality and Life Satisfaction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Role of Opportunity. Societies 2019, 9, 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9020037

AMA Style

García-Muñoz TM, Milgram-Baleix J, Odeh-Odeh O. Inequality and Life Satisfaction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Role of Opportunity. Societies. 2019; 9(2):37. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9020037

Chicago/Turabian Style

García-Muñoz, Teresa Maria, Juliette Milgram-Baleix, and Omar Odeh-Odeh. 2019. "Inequality and Life Satisfaction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Role of Opportunity" Societies 9, no. 2: 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9020037

APA Style

García-Muñoz, T. M., Milgram-Baleix, J., & Odeh-Odeh, O. (2019). Inequality and Life Satisfaction in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: The Role of Opportunity. Societies, 9(2), 37. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc9020037

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop