Hardback
Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment
This topical and engaging Handbook brings together cutting-edge research on the relationship between happiness and the natural environment. With interdisciplinary contributions from top scholars, it explores the role of happiness research as a new approach to environmental social science, illustrating the critical links between human wellbeing, happiness and the environment.
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Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
More Information
This topical and engaging Handbook brings together cutting edge research on the relationship between happiness and the natural environment. With interdisciplinary contributions from top scholars, it explores the role of happiness research as a new approach to environmental social science, illustrating the critical links between human wellbeing, happiness and the environment.
Addressing key environmental issues that impact happiness, the book examines: climate change and extreme weather events, air pollution, noise, odour, access to green space and the importance of green lifestyles. This wide range of environmental concerns is analysed through the lens of differing cultural backgrounds, exploring the importance of different forms of human interaction with the environment globally, as well as its effects.
Environmental economics and sociology scholars will find the key case studies discussed particularly useful in assessing different cultural, political and regional approaches to the topic. It will also be an interesting read for policy-makers looking to better understand how the environment affects human happiness and wellbeing.
Addressing key environmental issues that impact happiness, the book examines: climate change and extreme weather events, air pollution, noise, odour, access to green space and the importance of green lifestyles. This wide range of environmental concerns is analysed through the lens of differing cultural backgrounds, exploring the importance of different forms of human interaction with the environment globally, as well as its effects.
Environmental economics and sociology scholars will find the key case studies discussed particularly useful in assessing different cultural, political and regional approaches to the topic. It will also be an interesting read for policy-makers looking to better understand how the environment affects human happiness and wellbeing.
Critical Acclaim
‘This exciting Handbook brings together leading authors investigating the state of the art in behaviour economics, when they are concerned with SWB, when SWB is modelled as an explicit function of environmental goods and services. This Handbook is one of the most efficient pathways towards the understanding of the underpinnings and contribution of “happiness economics” in understanding the “socio-economic value” of environmental and resources economics, and identification of the challenges that lie ahead.’
– Phoebe Koundouri, Athens University of Economics and Business and President-Elect, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Greece
‘A complete analysis of wellbeing has to address both its individual and contextual determinants. This volume brings together a much-needed collection of contributions addressing many aspects of climate and the environment. Together they will help researchers to move to a truly global measure of individual, societal and indeed global wellbeing.’
– Andrew Clark, Paris School of Economics, France
‘The Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment is an intriguing collection of chapters that discuss and utilize measurements of household happiness. Happiness is not closely correlated with income across countries, but happiness is associated with better environments that have more green space, less pollution, less noise, and Mediterranean climates.’
– Robert Mendelsohn, Yale University, US
– Phoebe Koundouri, Athens University of Economics and Business and President-Elect, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Greece
‘A complete analysis of wellbeing has to address both its individual and contextual determinants. This volume brings together a much-needed collection of contributions addressing many aspects of climate and the environment. Together they will help researchers to move to a truly global measure of individual, societal and indeed global wellbeing.’
– Andrew Clark, Paris School of Economics, France
‘The Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment is an intriguing collection of chapters that discuss and utilize measurements of household happiness. Happiness is not closely correlated with income across countries, but happiness is associated with better environments that have more green space, less pollution, less noise, and Mediterranean climates.’
– Robert Mendelsohn, Yale University, US
Contributors
Contributors: M. Ahmadiani, M. Berlemann, F. Brereton, L. Bruni, X. Chen, C.A. Coral-Guerrero, S. Ferreira, H. Folmer, B.S. Frey, D. Fujiwara, F. García-Quero, I. Gramatki, J. Guardiola, P. Howley, B.A. Jones, K. Kagohashi, S. Kant, K. Keohane, C. Krekel, K. Laffan, R.N. Lawton, A. Levinson, G. MacKerron, D. Maddison, S. Managi, M. Moro, S. Mourato, J. Regner, K. Rehdanz, H. Ren, T. Ruckelshauß, J. Tang, T. Tsurumi, J. Tutt, R. Veenhoven, I. Vertinsky, H. Welsch, X. Zhang, X. Zhang, B. Zheng
Contents
Contents:
Foreword by Andrew Oswald ix
Introduction to the Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment 1
David Maddison, Katrin Rehdanz and Heinz Welsch
PART I SOCIAL SCIENCES, HAPPINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
1 Economics, wellbeing and happiness: a historical perspective 13
Luigino Bruni
2 World Database of Happiness: a ‘findings archive’ 25
Ruut Veenhoven
3 Spatial variation in life satisfaction: a happiness puzzle 46
Mona Ahmadiani, Finbarr Brereton, Susana Ferreira and Mirko Moro
4 Happiness and environmental economics 71
Heinz Welsch
5 Subjective wellbeing as valuation system of environmental quality: an
environmental social sciences approach 85
Jianjun Tang, Honghao Ren and Henk Folmer
PART II CASE STUDIES ON HAPPINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
6 Cross-country variations in subjective wellbeing explained by the climate 105
David Maddison and Katrin Rehdanz
7 Natural disasters and self-reported wellbeing: empirical evidence for rainfall
extremes in the United Kingdom 127
Michael Berlemann, Judith Regner and Jascha Tutt
8 Happiness and forest-attacking invasive alien species 144
Benjamin A. Jones
9 Happiness and air pollution 164
Arik Levinson
10 The effects of exposure to air pollution on subjective wellbeing in China 183
Xin Zhang, Xi Chen and Xiaobo Zhang
11 Noise and subjective wellbeing 201
Daniel Fujiwara and Ricky N. Lawton
12 Measuring the wellbeing and health impacts of sewage odour 225
Daniel Fujiwara, Iulian Gramatki and Kieran Keohane
13 The effect of green areas on life satisfaction: a comparison of subjective
and objective measures 245
Teresa Ruckelshau.
14 Mappiness: natural environments and in-the-moment happiness 266
George MacKerron and Susana Mourato
15 Legacy effects and individual heterogeneity in the relationship between
health and wellbeing 283
Peter Howley
16 Valuing energy infrastructure externalities using wellbeing and hedonic
price data: the case of wind turbines 297
Christian Krekel
17 Happiness and energy supply 318
Heinz Welsch
18 Green with satisfaction: the relationship between pro-environmental
behaviours and subjective wellbeing 329
Kate Laffan
19 Happiness and green lifestyle 349
Heinz Welsch
20 How environmental ethics affect the consumption–wellbeing relationship:
evidence from Japan 367
Tetsuya Tsurumi, Kazuki Kagohashi and Shunsuke Managi
21 An empirical assessment of the indigenous Sumak Kawsay (living well):
the importance of nature and relationships 385
Carmen Amelia Coral-Guerrero, Jorge Guardiola and Fernando Garc.a-Quero
22 Mother Earth and household welfare functions of First Nations peoples of
Canada 399
Shashi Kant, Ilan Vertinsky and Bin Zheng
PART III CONCLUSION
23 Happiness in retrospect and prospect 422
Bruno S. Frey
Index 431
Foreword by Andrew Oswald ix
Introduction to the Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment 1
David Maddison, Katrin Rehdanz and Heinz Welsch
PART I SOCIAL SCIENCES, HAPPINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
1 Economics, wellbeing and happiness: a historical perspective 13
Luigino Bruni
2 World Database of Happiness: a ‘findings archive’ 25
Ruut Veenhoven
3 Spatial variation in life satisfaction: a happiness puzzle 46
Mona Ahmadiani, Finbarr Brereton, Susana Ferreira and Mirko Moro
4 Happiness and environmental economics 71
Heinz Welsch
5 Subjective wellbeing as valuation system of environmental quality: an
environmental social sciences approach 85
Jianjun Tang, Honghao Ren and Henk Folmer
PART II CASE STUDIES ON HAPPINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
6 Cross-country variations in subjective wellbeing explained by the climate 105
David Maddison and Katrin Rehdanz
7 Natural disasters and self-reported wellbeing: empirical evidence for rainfall
extremes in the United Kingdom 127
Michael Berlemann, Judith Regner and Jascha Tutt
8 Happiness and forest-attacking invasive alien species 144
Benjamin A. Jones
9 Happiness and air pollution 164
Arik Levinson
10 The effects of exposure to air pollution on subjective wellbeing in China 183
Xin Zhang, Xi Chen and Xiaobo Zhang
11 Noise and subjective wellbeing 201
Daniel Fujiwara and Ricky N. Lawton
12 Measuring the wellbeing and health impacts of sewage odour 225
Daniel Fujiwara, Iulian Gramatki and Kieran Keohane
13 The effect of green areas on life satisfaction: a comparison of subjective
and objective measures 245
Teresa Ruckelshau.
14 Mappiness: natural environments and in-the-moment happiness 266
George MacKerron and Susana Mourato
15 Legacy effects and individual heterogeneity in the relationship between
health and wellbeing 283
Peter Howley
16 Valuing energy infrastructure externalities using wellbeing and hedonic
price data: the case of wind turbines 297
Christian Krekel
17 Happiness and energy supply 318
Heinz Welsch
18 Green with satisfaction: the relationship between pro-environmental
behaviours and subjective wellbeing 329
Kate Laffan
19 Happiness and green lifestyle 349
Heinz Welsch
20 How environmental ethics affect the consumption–wellbeing relationship:
evidence from Japan 367
Tetsuya Tsurumi, Kazuki Kagohashi and Shunsuke Managi
21 An empirical assessment of the indigenous Sumak Kawsay (living well):
the importance of nature and relationships 385
Carmen Amelia Coral-Guerrero, Jorge Guardiola and Fernando Garc.a-Quero
22 Mother Earth and household welfare functions of First Nations peoples of
Canada 399
Shashi Kant, Ilan Vertinsky and Bin Zheng
PART III CONCLUSION
23 Happiness in retrospect and prospect 422
Bruno S. Frey
Index 431
