TESTING FOR SPATIAL EQUILIBRIUM USING HAPPINESS DATA

ABSTRACT Happiness data are rarely used in regional and urban analysis, but it is a prime data set for testing the assumption of spatial equilibrium, the key assumption in the field of urban economics. In this paper, we explore the relationship between regional happiness and one‐year lagged change i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of regional science 2017-03, Vol.57 (2), p.199-217
Main Authors: Goetzke, Frank, Islam, Samia
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Censuses
Economic models
Equilibrium
Growth rate
Happiness
Population growth
Regional analysis
Regional development
Science
Social welfare
Spatial data
Spatial discrimination
Urban economics
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:ABSTRACT Happiness data are rarely used in regional and urban analysis, but it is a prime data set for testing the assumption of spatial equilibrium, the key assumption in the field of urban economics. In this paper, we explore the relationship between regional happiness and one‐year lagged change in population growth rates for the nine census regions in the United States using data on reported well‐being from National Opinion Research Center's annual General Social Survey. We observe that, while there is evidence of spatial disequilibrium during recessions and in the long run, happier regions generally experience higher population growth rates indicating a movement (or tendency) toward spatial equilibrium.
ISSN:0022-4146
1467-9787
DOI:10.1111/jors.12311