What do self-reports of wellbeing say about life-cycle theory and policy?
What do self-reports of wellbeing say about life-cycle theory and policy?
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DOI：
10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.02.014
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发表时间：
2018-06-01
影响因子：
9.8
通讯作者：
Deaton, Angus
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Deaton, Angus
我响应阿特金森的呼吁，恢复福利经济学，并在提出政策建议时考虑其他伦理框架。我研究了一种自我报告的可评估性幸福感的测量方法，即“中心阶梯”，并使用盖洛普的数据来研究生命周期中的幸福感。我评估了测量的有效性，并表明它很难与我们熟悉的跨期选择理论相协调。我发现全世界都对未来持乐观态度；尽管一再有相反的证据，但人们总是不理性地预测自己五年后会过得更好。未来和当前幸福之间的差距随着年龄的增长而缩小，在富裕国家，老年人之间的差距为负。我还用这个指标来考虑按年龄和性别划分的收入转移。优先考虑低收入者的政策偏向年轻人和老年人，而功利主义政策偏向中年人，男性多于女性。
I respond to Atkinson's plea to revive welfare economics, and to consider alternative ethical frameworks when making policy recommendations. I examine a measure of self-reported evaluative wellbeing, the Cantril Ladder, and use data from Gallup to examine wellbeing over the life-cycle. I assess the validity of the measure, and show that it is hard to reconcile with familiar theories of intertemporal choice. I find a worldwide optimism about the future; in spite of repeated evidence to the contrary, people consistently but irrationally predict they will be better off five years from now. The gap between future and current wellbeing diminishes with age, and in rich countries, is negative among the elderly. I also use the measure to think about income transfers by age and sex. Policies that give priority those with low incomes favor the young and the old, while utilitarian policies favor the middle aged, and men over women.