2014
DOI: 10.35188/unu-wider/2014/781-3
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The economics of happiness and anger in North Africa

Abstract: Economics has rediscovered happiness even though the discipline has always been about human wellbeing. A growing evidence suggests that happier people can be more productive and innovative, which leads to profitability and economic growth. Thus, there are concerted efforts to measure happiness and design policies to enhance it. Happiness metrics rank North African countries among the lowest, and worsening over time. This paper explores key contributing factors to decades of frustration and anger in North Afric… Show more

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Cited by 2 publications
(2 citation statements)
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“…In the preceding decade, the MENA region’s average, aggregate and youth unemployment rates were the highest in the world. Without guarantees of secure public jobs, young people, who entered the labor market better prepared than their parents in terms of educational qualifications (Campante and Chor, ; Barro and Lee, ), were forced to queue for public sector jobs or take part‐time or low‐quality jobs in the private sector (Chamlou, ) which did not generate enough formal jobs (Ianchovichina, ). Employment in the informal private sector offered little protection at old age and limited access to quality healthcare and benefits, such as paid maternity and annual leave (Angel‐Urdinola and Kuddo, ; World Bank, ).…”
Section: Major Factors Behind Life Dissatisfaction In Developing Menamentioning
confidence: 99%
“…In the preceding decade, the MENA region’s average, aggregate and youth unemployment rates were the highest in the world. Without guarantees of secure public jobs, young people, who entered the labor market better prepared than their parents in terms of educational qualifications (Campante and Chor, ; Barro and Lee, ), were forced to queue for public sector jobs or take part‐time or low‐quality jobs in the private sector (Chamlou, ) which did not generate enough formal jobs (Ianchovichina, ). Employment in the informal private sector offered little protection at old age and limited access to quality healthcare and benefits, such as paid maternity and annual leave (Angel‐Urdinola and Kuddo, ; World Bank, ).…”
Section: Major Factors Behind Life Dissatisfaction In Developing Menamentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Research on the Arab Spring by Georgetown University suggests that the failure of educated Egyptians to achieve a better life despite their investments in human capital, due to the lack of opportunity that accompanied the failure of the country's Arab Spring to change the political and social environment, could create the kind of tension that was seen during Egypt's Arab Spring (Guirguis, ). Such tension would be reflected in the WVS data for Egypt from 2012, as there were also fewer economic opportunities available for young, highly educated Egyptians, making them disillusioned with the state of economic affairs in Egypt (Chamlou, ).…”
Section: Summary Statistics and Empirical Resultsmentioning
confidence: 99%