Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Tariq Ahmad Lone Author-X-Name-First: Tariq Ahmad Author-X-Name-Last: Lone Author-Name: Parveez Ahmad Lone Author-X-Name-First: Parveez Ahmad Author-X-Name-Last: Lone Title: Does fiscal deficit, public debt, economic growth and energy consumption affect health expenditure in India: an empirical evidence based ARDL bound testing approach Abstract: This paper examines the impact of fiscal deficit, public debt, economic growth and of energy consumption on health expenditure in the country. Annual data for the time period 1980-2019 has been taken for analytical purposes. The bound testing approach ARDL model has been used for testing the long run cointegration among variables. Besides vector error correction model (VECM) has been utilised for determining the direction of causality. The results specify the presence of long run causal relationship between fiscal deficit, public debt, economic growth, energy consumption and health expenditure. However in the short run a single relationship between GDP and health expenditure was observed. These results reveal that all these variables are important but GDP is more important for maintenance of health expenditure. Thus we recommend that prudent public debt management, fiscal discipline, efficient energy consumption and economic growth should go a long way in maintaining the health expenditure and therefore better health outcomes. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 1-14 Issue: 1 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: health expenditure; ARDL bound; VECM; vector error correction model; cointegration; causality. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124164 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:1:p:1-14 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Iqra Zaffar Author-X-Name-First: Iqra Author-X-Name-Last: Zaffar Author-Name: Abdul Gani Author-X-Name-First: Abdul Author-X-Name-Last: Gani Title: What makes employees happy at work? Evidence from cross-sectional data in India Abstract: This study examines the state of happiness of Indian employees, identifies the antecedents of their happiness, and explores the correlates of their workplace happiness. It is based on a sample of 400 public sector employees belonging to the education, health, banking and manufacturing sectors in northern India. SPSS version 23 was used to analyse the collected data using descriptive and inferential statistical tests. Results indicate that most employees are contented with their happiness at work, but their overall happiness level is not very high. The studies' findings reinforce that flow, intrinsic motivation and supportive organisational experiences are important contributors to employee happiness. The study results indicate that the type of family, income and years of experience significantly affect employee happiness. The study highlights the organisational interventions which can contribute to employee workplace happiness. This endeavour would also have important implications for the interpretation of the predictors of employee happiness. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 15-39 Issue: 1 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: workplace; happiness; happiness antecedents; happiness correlates; public sector; India. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124165 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:1:p:15-39 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Adalgiso Amendola Author-X-Name-First: Adalgiso Author-X-Name-Last: Amendola Author-Name: Roberto Dell'Anno Author-X-Name-First: Roberto Author-X-Name-Last: Dell'Anno Author-Name: Lavinia Parisi Author-X-Name-First: Lavinia Author-X-Name-Last: Parisi Title: Why some people are not as happy as they could be: the role of unobservable subjective factors Abstract: This paper investigates the relative importance of unobservable subjective factors (i.e., genetic, personality, cognitive traits) on happiness. We apply a residual-based approach to distinguish between the direct and indirect effects of unobservable subjective time persistent traits on happiness. We refer to the 'indirect' effects as the effects of unobservable variables on happiness mediated by social, economic and family factors. We find that these 'indirect" effects only explain approximately 25% of the happiness variation at the individual level, while unobserved (i.e., genetic and personality) traits may explain up to 75% of the differences in happiness. We also find that socioeconomic, demographical and institutional factors better explain the variance of happy vs. unhappy people. The empirical analysis is based on the European Quality of Life Survey dataset. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 40-63 Issue: 1 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: happiness; unobservable traits; subjective well-being; unhappiness; genes. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124166 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:1:p:40-63 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Sergio Tezanos Author-X-Name-First: Sergio Author-X-Name-Last: Tezanos Author-Name: Borja López-Noval Author-X-Name-First: Borja Author-X-Name-Last: López-Noval Title: How's life? An international classification based on life satisfaction and its determinants Abstract: Average life evaluations significantly vary across countries due to several factors, such as income, health, social support, freedom, generosity and corruption. In this paper we carry out an analysis of the joint distribution of average life satisfaction and five key determinants in 103 countries by means of a hierarchical cluster analysis. We build a life satisfaction taxonomy that identifies five groups of countries: two comprise relatively dissatisfied countries, one includes moderately satisfied countries, and the remaining two highly satisfied countries. The contribution of the taxonomy is twofold. First, it provides the first systematic classification of countries based on life satisfaction and its determinants and suggests that previous classifications are not as robust as it is usually assumed. Second, the taxonomy contributes to the discussion on the meaning and measurement of well-being. Interestingly, it shows that different configurations of the classification variables may be associated with similar levels of life satisfaction. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 64-90 Issue: 1 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: life satisfaction; cross-country analysis; cluster analysis; multidimensional taxonomy; international classification. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124167 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:1:p:64-90 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Marius Molter Author-X-Name-First: Marius Author-X-Name-Last: Molter Author-Name: Vito Bobek Author-X-Name-First: Vito Author-X-Name-Last: Bobek Author-Name: Gorazd Justinek Author-X-Name-First: Gorazd Author-X-Name-Last: Justinek Author-Name: Tatjana Horvat Author-X-Name-First: Tatjana Author-X-Name-Last: Horvat Title: The influence of religiosity and culture on the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of CSR: a comparative case study of Taiwan and Austria Abstract: The paper analyses the influence of culture and religiosity on corporate social responsibility (CSR) by assessing the three dimensions of the triple-bottom approach - economic, environmental, and social - via creating composite indicators out of the World Value Survey's relevant questions in each field. Austria and Taiwan, two very different countries in terms of economic development, religion, and cultural values, are compared. The analysis is based on the World Value Survey website; therefore, a comparison of the development of these factors over time is possible. Lastly, a correlation analysis regarding the influence of religiosity on each of those dimensions was applied. The correlation analysis resulted in a conclusion that does not follow previous studies. It suggests negative relationships in two out of three dimensions. While a positive correlation between religiosity and the economic dimension is observable in Austria, the correlation between environmental concerns and religiosity in Taiwan appears significant. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 203-221 Issue: 3 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: CSR; corporate social responsibility; culture; religiosity; time-series analysis; cross-country comparison. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=127615 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:3:p:203-221 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Tee Chwee Ming Author-X-Name-First: Tee Chwee Author-X-Name-Last: Ming Author-Name: Christine Chong Siew Pyng Author-X-Name-First: Christine Chong Siew Author-X-Name-Last: Pyng Author-Name: Lim Thean Pheng Author-X-Name-First: Lim Thean Author-X-Name-Last: Pheng Author-Name: Boo Mei Chin Author-X-Name-First: Boo Mei Author-X-Name-Last: Chin Title: Stock market and happiness: some cross-country evidence of spillover effect and good government Abstract: Previous research has examined the influence of stock market valuation on happiness among stock investors. In this study, we analysed how the stock market affects the overall happiness of a country. We conducted further exploration of additional mechanisms that moderate the association between stock market valuation and happiness level. Based on a 68-crosscountry dataset from 2010 to 2017, we examined the association between stock market valuation and happiness. We found that the stock market index was positively associated with the level of happiness. Findings also revealed that the positive association was weaker in countries with an uneven distribution of wealth (high GINI) but stronger in countries with stronger democratic institutions and the rule of law. These findings are robust to controlling for endogeneity using instrument variables, lag variables, and change models. Additional test results indicated that the association between the higher stock market index and the higher happiness level was also significantly moderated by political stability and the control of corruption. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 222-242 Issue: 3 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: stock market; happiness; good governance; political stability; subjective well-being; income inequality; democracy; rule of law. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=127627 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:3:p:222-242 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Gul Afshan Author-X-Name-First: Gul Author-X-Name-Last: Afshan Title: Moderating effect of mindfulness in psychological contract breach and work engagement relationship Abstract: This study examines the impact of psychological contract breach (PCB) on banking sector employees' work engagement in Pakistan. The relationship was hypothesised between PCB and work engagement based on the job-demand resource model and affective event theory (AET). Data were collected through a survey questionnaire from 239 banking employees in banks in Pakistan. The data were analysed through structural equation modelling (SEM) in AMOS software. The results supported the negative relationship between PCB and employees' work engagement. Moreover, mindfulness moderated the relationship between PCB and work engagement. The relationship was weaker for employees with a high level of mindfulness. The results highlight that unaddressed PCB may lead service sector employees to be less engaged in their jobs. Based on the study's findings, organisations are recommended to understand and address the psychological contract formation process and develop a quality relationship with employees to benefit in the long run. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 183-202 Issue: 3 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: mindfulness; PCB; psychological contract breach; work engagement; banks; job demand resource model; AET; affective event theory; service sector; organisations; Pakistan. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=127629 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:3:p:183-202 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Zainal Mutaqin Author-X-Name-First: Zainal Author-X-Name-Last: Mutaqin Author-Name: Yessica C.Y. Chung Author-X-Name-First: Yessica C.Y. Author-X-Name-Last: Chung Author-Name: Noxolo Kunene Author-X-Name-First: Noxolo Author-X-Name-Last: Kunene Title: Factors associated with farm household happiness: an analysis from Western and Eastern Indonesia Abstract: Indonesians are moderately happy, and many empirical studies have examined the determining factors. However, little is known about the happiness of farmers in the country. This study addresses this issue by using a large-scale survey consisting of 13,271 individuals living in farm households that are nested in 432 communities in Western and Eastern Indonesia. An ordered logistic regression was applied to examine individual, household, and community characteristics that are associated with farmers' happiness. The study shows that farmers' happiness is highly associated with individual characteristics and that farmers in Eastern Indonesia are more satisfied with their lives than their western counterparts. It is concluded that being Javanese and ideally owning a house in Western Indonesia is positively associated with farmers' happiness. Meanwhile, the active presence of traditional markets in communities in Eastern Indonesia has a positive and significant relationship with farmers' happiness. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 243-264 Issue: 3 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: farmers' happiness; community-level factors; agricultural infrastructure; Western Indonesia; Eastern Indonesia. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=127633 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:3:p:243-264 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Vathsala Wickramasinghe Author-X-Name-First: Vathsala Author-X-Name-Last: Wickramasinghe Author-Name: Nadeesha Sajeewani Author-X-Name-First: Nadeesha Author-X-Name-Last: Sajeewani Title: Mergers and acquisitions and employees' level of anxiety: the role of HRM practices Abstract: Anxiety due to organisational change is an important issue in occupational health. The paper presents the findings of a study that investigated the level of anxiety experienced by employees due to an acquisition and the effect of human resource management practices in easing anxiety. The sample consisted of employees from both acquiring and target entities, who had experience spanning three phases of merger and acquisition, i.e., pre-, during, and post. The findings showed significant differences in the level of anxiety between the two entities as well as across the three phases. The results showed that human resource management practices play an important role in easing anxiety, which is a widely identified occupational health issue in mergers and acquisitions. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 265-290 Issue: 3 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: acquisition; anxiety; merger; acquirer; target entity; human resource management; uncertainty. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=127634 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:3:p:265-290 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Kenan Bülbül Author-X-Name-First: Kenan Author-X-Name-Last: Bülbül Author-Name: Tuğba Türkkan Author-X-Name-First: Tuğba Author-X-Name-Last: Türkkan Author-Name: Hatice Odacı Author-X-Name-First: Hatice Author-X-Name-Last: Odacı Title: Do psychological resilience and life satisfaction affect happiness levels of individuals? A case study for Trabzon University Abstract: The aim of the research is to examine the effect of psychological resilience and life satisfaction on happiness. Accordingly, the research included students from different departments of Trabzon University in the spring semester of the 2018-2019 educational year and was completed with 558 students who accepted participation. Within the scope of the study, the demographic information form, Brief Resilience Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire-short form were used. As a result of the analyses, the happiness levels of students did not differ statistically significantly based on their gender and income levels, but differed statistically significantly based on department they studied and this difference was due to students attending the department of foreign languages education. Finally, according to multiple regression analysis, life satisfaction alone predicted 43% of happiness level, while including psychological resilience was included in the model, they both predicted 50%. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 107-121 Issue: 2 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: happiness; psychological resilience; life satisfaction; university students; positive psychology; quantitative research method; case study; regression analysis. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124890 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:2:p:107-121 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: A.F.M. Jalal Ahamed Author-X-Name-First: A.F.M. Jalal Author-X-Name-Last: Ahamed Title: COVID-19-induced financial anxiety and state of the subjective well-being among the Bangladeshi middle class: the effects of demographic conditions Abstract: In poverty-stricken countries, the middle class usually falls out of focus in fiscal policy discussions, especially during crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This research aims to determine if the pandemic has impacted subjective well-being (SWB) and financial anxiety (FAS) for a middle-class Bangladeshi sample. During 14-24 July 2020, 129 respondents completed a self-reported survey questionnaire. The results indicate that although people are happy in general, they are worried about their relationships. Women score lower on total well-being, as do those with household incomes below the average. People living outside the capital score marginally higher, people with well-secured jobs denote their higher well-being too. Furthermore, the FAS results indicate higher levels of anxiety among people with lower incomes and unsecured jobs. Therefore, the COVID-19 experience might inform future fiscal policies, including the potential to introduce universal job security insurance and financial counselling to employees after the pandemic. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 142-158 Issue: 2 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: FAS; financial anxiety; BBC-SWB; financial policy; financial therapy; wellbeing counselling; middle class; Bangladesh. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124893 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:2:p:142-158 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Marium Ishaque Author-X-Name-First: Marium Author-X-Name-Last: Ishaque Author-Name: Faisal Sultan Qadri Author-X-Name-First: Faisal Sultan Author-X-Name-Last: Qadri Title: Urbanisation and life satisfaction Abstract: The world is urbanising rapidly and the proportion of the population living in urban areas in both the developed and developing countries has increased over time. In this paper, we study the association between urbanisation and life satisfaction at national level by using different indicators of urbanisation. The study examines whether or not the urbanisation-well-being association varies when different measures of urbanisation are used. The analysis covers a wide range of regions across the world including the four income groups; low, lower-middle, upper-middle and high-income group. The data for empirical analysis is obtained from World Happiness Report 2020 and WDI (World Development Indicators 2019). The findings demonstrate that national level urbanisation raises national life satisfaction however, the benefits of urbanisation decrease with the development level. It is found that a change in urbanisation indicator may change the direction as well as statistical significance of the relationship. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 122-141 Issue: 2 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: urbanisation; subjective well-being; life satisfaction; regions; urbanisation indicator; largest city; large agglomeration; happiness. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124904 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:2:p:122-141 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: G. Nagasubramaniyan Author-X-Name-First: G. Author-X-Name-Last: Nagasubramaniyan Author-Name: Augustine Joseph Author-X-Name-First: Augustine Author-X-Name-Last: Joseph Title: Income inequality and violent crime: evidence from Indian states Abstract: The objective of this study is to examine the determinants of different types of violent crime in India. A panel data model was estimated using data from 28 Indian states and one union territory during the years 1993, 2004 and 2011, covering three decades. Based on the Hausman test result, random effect model was used for all types of violent crime except robbery. Our main result suggests that income inequality measured using Gini coefficient negatively affects the incidence of murder, attempt to commit murder, and kidnapping and abduction. Furthermore, there are evidences suggesting that unemployment is an insignificant variable in explaining the incidence of different categories of violent crime. Consistent with previous research, lower levels of violent crimes are associated with a higher literacy rate. The current study also discusses the possible reasons for the above mentioned relationship between economic variables and violent crime. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 159-178 Issue: 2 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: income inequality; crime; violent crime; Gini coefficient; unemployment; literacy; panel data; random effect; fixed effect; India. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124907 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:2:p:159-178 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Abu H. Ayob Author-X-Name-First: Abu H. Author-X-Name-Last: Ayob Author-Name: Nor Asiah Omar Author-X-Name-First: Nor Asiah Author-X-Name-Last: Omar Author-Name: Zafir Mohamed Makhbul Author-X-Name-First: Zafir Mohamed Author-X-Name-Last: Makhbul Author-Name: Taslima Jannat Author-X-Name-First: Taslima Author-X-Name-Last: Jannat Title: Diversity, culture, and membership in social organisations Abstract: This cross-national study empirically examines cultural context as a boundary condition for the interaction of diversity and social organisations. Specifically, this research explores the effects of ethnic, religious and linguistic diversity on the membership of humanitarian and charitable organisations, and how the relationships are moderated by the level of fairness and happiness. The hypotheses are tested using the index of fractionalisation and data from the World Values Survey from 38 countries. After controlling for the institutions, the results show that ethnic and linguistic diversity, together with a level of fairness, have positive effects on the membership of social organisations. However, the impact of the level of happiness and the moderating effects of cultural variables vary according to the type of diversity. The findings imply that social heterogeneity and cultural context play a significant role in determining engagement in voluntary social activities. Journal: Int. J. of Happiness and Development Pages: 91-106 Issue: 1 Volume: 7 Year: 2022 Keywords: ethnic diversity; religious diversity; linguistic diversity; fairness; happiness; social organisations. File-URL: http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=124159 File-Format: text/html File-Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers. Handle: RePEc:ids:ijhdev:v:7:y:2022:i:1:p:91-106