Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Junya Ino
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Michal Shinwell
Title: Measuring transboundary impacts in the 2030 Agenda: Conceptual approach and operationalisation
Abstract: This paper explores the conceptual framing and measurement of transboundary impacts in the context of the 2030 Agenda. It starts by defining transboundary impacts and reviewing different measurement approaches used so far. It then proposes a typology of transboundary impacts, classified depending on the type of international flows involved: financial flows, trade flows, movements of people, environmental flows and knowledge transfers. For each of these flows, transboundary impacts can be either positive or negative, depending on the aspect considered and on the conditions in origin and destination countries. Based on this framework, the paper presents evidence from a qualitative survey of experts about the potential impact of these five flows on each of the 17 Goals and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda. Transboundary impacts are deemed by experts to be quite pervasive across SDGs, but also limited in scope to a small number of well-identified targets. Finally, the framework is operationalised for some specific areas within each of the five types of flows mentioned above, with the help of some proxy indicators. At the global level, the five types of transboundary relationships are dominated by three macro-regions, namely China, the United States-Canada and Europe, mainly reflecting the large size of these regions in most cases. When the assessment is conducted in relative terms (i.e. when impacts are normalised by population size or GDP), the picture becomes more nuanced, as 7 out of the 11 world regions considered record at least two large transboundary impacts. While this operationalisation is only meant to show how the proposed framework could be applied to concrete cases, the paper recommends its applications to other areas within each of the five flows, based on a richer set of indicators.
Classification-JEL: Q01; Q56; F00
Keywords: Sustainable Development Goals, Transboundary Impacts
Creation-Date: 2021-11-16
Number: 01
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:01-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: ‪Emanuele Ciani
Author-Name: Louis Fréget
Author-Name: Thomas Manfredi
Title: Learning about inequality and demand for redistribution: A meta-analysis of in-survey informational experiments
Abstract: A growing body of literature studies the effect of providing information about inequality to respondents of surveys on their preferences for redistribution. We provide a meta-analysis combining the results from 84 information treatments coming from 36 studies in Economics, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology. This meta-analysis complements and informs a broader project on perceptions of inequality and preferences for redistribution (Does Inequality Matter? How People Perceive Economic Disparities and Social Mobility, OECD publishing, Paris, 2021). In the meta-analysis, we focus on in-survey experiments where a randomly selected group of respondents receive either information about the overall extent of inequalities, or about their position in the income distribution. The results show that providing information on inequality has a sizeable impact on people’s perceptions and concerns about inequality, but a rather small effect on their demand for redistribution. Inspecting the heterogeneity across treatments and outcomes helps explaining the small average effect on demand for redistribution, but the evidence is not yet conclusive about the potential explanations. We further show that correcting respondents’ misperceptions about their own position in the income distribution increases the preferences for redistribution for those who previously overestimated their position and decreases it for those who underestimated, although the effects are, on average, small.
Classification-JEL: D71; H2
Keywords: Meta-analysis, Perceptions of inequality, Preferences for redistribution
Creation-Date: 2021-11-18
Number: 02
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:02-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Vincent Siegerink
Author-Name: Michal Shinwell
Author-Name: Žiga Žarnic
Title: Measuring the non-financial performance of firms through the lens of the OECD Well-being Framework: A common measurement framework for “Scope 1” Social performance
Abstract: This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding the non-financial performance of firms through the lens of the OECD Well-being Framework. Building on existing approaches for measuring non-financial performance, it proposes a measurement framework and indicator set for what may be referred to as “Scope 1” Social performance. This refers to the well-being of stakeholders that operate within the operational boundaries of the firm, namely employees, and the capital resources that a firm contributes to and depletes that are directly relevant to society as a whole. In line with the OECD Well-being Framework, this paper emphasises the importance of measuring the well-being outcomes of stakeholders alongside the resources that firms produce and deplete. The paper also emphasises the importance of aligning the measurement of the non-financial performance of businesses at the macro-level and sectoral level by national statistical offices (NSOs) with micro-level measures collected by firms themselves. Going forward, the OECD will continue to address the measurement gaps identified in this paper and to encourage further alignment of corporate and official measures of business non-financial performance.
Classification-JEL: D63; G30; I31; M14
Keywords: ESG, Inclusive business models, Non-financial performance indicators, Social impact measurement, Sustainability, Well-being framework
Creation-Date: 2022-01-27
Number: 03
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:03-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Benoît Arnaud
Author-Name: Christine Le Thi
Author-Name: Agnès Parent-Thirion
Title: The relationship between quality of the working environment, workers’ health and well-being: Evidence from 28 OECD countries
Abstract: This paper operationalises the OECD Guidelines for Measuring the Quality of the Working Environment (OECD, 2017) to describe job characteristics among European countries, the United States and Korea in 2010 and 2015. The analysis extends the range of aspects of quality of the working environment beyond those featuring in the Job Strain index presented by (Cazes, 2015), which is used to monitor implementation of the OECD Job Strategy, but at the cost of a more limited country coverage. While the two indices of job strain are largely consistent both across countries and over time, all of the job characteristics included in the “extended” index turns out to matter for workers’ well-being. The framework uses the job demands-resources model ( (Demerouti, 2001) that stresses the importance of balancing the demands of the job and the resources that are available to workers to meet those demands. Workers are classified as (heavily) strained when the number of job demands they face (largely) exceeds the number of job resources they benefit from, and conversely, they are classified as (very) well-resourced when their job resources (largely) exceed their job demands.On average among 28 OECD countries, about one third of employees are (moderately or heavily) strained at work, while one half are well-resourced. The share of employees that are heavily strained is close to 10%. Job strain is relatively more frequent among employees with low education and low occupational skills, and it is relatively less frequent in the service sector and in the public sector. Due to composition effects, women hold on average slightly less strained jobs than men. The share of strained workers has slightly declined on average over the 2010-2015 period, falling in a majority of countries. The improvement in working conditions is related to better prospects of career advancement, higher take-up of training, stronger social support and organisational participation at work, higher flexibility of working time, as well as lower exposure to physical risk factors, hard physical demands and unsocial work schedule. On the other hand, perceptions of job insecurity, intimidation and discrimination, as well as work intensity have been on the rise. Finally, quality of the working environment is strongly associated with workers’ well-being as measured by mental and physical health, days of sickness, job satisfaction as well as job motivation, and the associated effects are potentially large. For most outcomes, perceived intimidation and discrimination at work is one of the most powerful predictor of workers’ well-being.
Classification-JEL: J81; J88; J71; J58
Keywords: job quality, quality of the working environment, well-being, workers' health
Creation-Date: 2022-01-31
Number: 04
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:04-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Vincent Siegerink
Author-Name: Julien Bonnet
Author-Name: Francesco Savazzi
Title: Well-being analytics for policy use: Modelling health and education outcomes in Italy
Abstract: The present paper presents methodologies to forecast and conduct policy analysis for three well-being indicators with the goal of informing the Italian government’s budget planning process. For each of the three indicators (healthy life expectancy, overweight and obesity, and early school leaving), a model is developed that allows projecting future trends under a status quo scenario and that allows estimating the impact of policy and budget levers on future outcomes. The micro-economic models for being in good health have a moderate explanatory power with an R2 ranging between 0.2 and 0.3. The strongest predictors of good health are by far the prevalence of chronic diseases, followed by low mental health, sport practice and diet. Overall, the combined changes in inputs yield an improvement in the share of people declaring being in good health by 2.7 ppt, from a baseline of 62% among people older than 18. The micro-economic model for being in excess weight has lower explanatory power (R2 between 0.05 and 0.15). As a result, the combined changes in inputs yield a relatively small decrease by 0.5 ppt starting from a baseline of 47.6% of the population. The most important predictors are those associated with a healthy diet. Finally, the cross-region macro-economic model of early school leaving has high explanatory power (R2 above 0.90) and highlights a wide range of ‘push and pull’ factors. The combination of benchmark inputs yields a decrease in the rate of early leavers by 1.8 ppt, starting from a baseline of 13.1%. Overall, these results highlight the large scope for policy intervention to improve well-being outcomes, as well as the multiplicity of policy levers.
Classification-JEL: I31; I38; J88; H50
Keywords: early school leaving, forecasting, healthy life expectancy, overweight and obesity, well-being policy analysis
Creation-Date: 2022-06-24
Number: 05
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:05-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Chris Clarke
Author-Name: Olivier Thévenon
Title: Starting unequal: How’s life for disadvantaged children?
Abstract: Childhood is a crucial period in life. The things that we learn, do, and experience in childhood play a critical role in shaping who we are and who we become, and can leave lasting impressions on our lives for years to come. However, not all children have the same opportunities to enjoy good childhoods and to learn and grow in ways that set them up well for adult life. Children from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds are at particular risk, as this paper shows. Built using a series of key comparative indicators from the OECD Child Well being Dashboard, this paper examines how the well being of children from disadvantaged backgrounds compares both across OECD countries and relative to their more advantaged peers. Results highlight how growing up at the bottom end of the socio economic ladder leads to poorer outcomes in almost all well being areas, and how these well being inequalities are rooted in the poorer environments that disadvantaged children face at home, in school, and in the community.
Classification-JEL: I31; I32; J13
Keywords: child well-being, children, education, families, health
Creation-Date: 2022-07-04
Number: 06
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:06-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Vincent Siegerink
Author-Name: Lara Fleischer
Author-Name: Julien Bonnet
Author-Name: Balázs Égert
Title: Well-being analytics for policy use: Policy evaluation through a well-being lens in Slovenia
Abstract: This paper first identifies Slovenia’s main well-being challenges, namely to boost productivity and increase performance on economic indicators without compromising its low levels of inequalities in wealth and income, and to strive for better human capital outcomes, including health outcomes and adult skills. Second, the paper assesses the welfare impacts of some structural reforms based on the shadow price of employment, which is equal to 3% of household income. The largest welfare impacts stem from: i) a cut in regulation of the energy, transport and communication sectors; ii) an increase in ALMPs; iii) a cut in the average tax wedge on households; iv) a cut in the minimum wage; v) an increase in the number of weeks of maternity leave; vi) a cut in the replacement rate of unemployment benefits.
Classification-JEL: I31; I38; J88; H50
Keywords: shadow prices, welfare analysis, Well-being policy analysis
Creation-Date: 2022-08-23
Number: 7
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:7-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Christopher Lübker
Title: Educational inequalities in longevity among OECD countries around 2016
Abstract: This study examines inequalities in life expectancy by educational status, age-standardised mortality rates, and age-at-death, using high-quality linked and supplementary unlinked data from 25 OECD countries in 2013-19. Absolute gaps in life expectancy at age 25 between high and low education groups are on average equal to 5.2 years and 8.2 years for women and men, respectively. Deaths of despair among women and men aged 25-64 contribute on average 7% and 11% to the total gap in life expectancy between high and low education groups, respectively. Comparing identical country-sources to the previous analysis, absolute gaps in life expectancy at age 25 have increased by 0.5 year and 0.4 year on average for women and men between 2011 and 2016.
Classification-JEL: I18; I14
Keywords: death of despair, health inequality, life expectancy, longevity, socio-economic gradient
Creation-Date: 2022-08-05
Number: 8
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:8-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Chris Clarke
Author-Name: Julien Bonnet
Author-Name: Manuel Flores
Author-Name: Olivier Thévenon
Author-Workplace-Name: OECD
Title: The economic costs of childhood socio-economic disadvantage in European OECD countries
Abstract: Growing up in socio-economic disadvantage has important and long-lasting effects on children’s lives. Children from disadvantaged households often fall behind in many areas of well-being and development, with effects that continue to limit their opportunities and outcomes – including their health and labour market outcomes – long after they reach adulthood. Drawing on Europe-wide survey data from 27 countries, this paper explores how childhood socio-economic disadvantage affects later adult labour market and health outcomes, and evaluates the country-level GDP-equivalent cost of childhood disadvantage due to lost employment, lost earnings, and lost health, as well as the costs of lost government revenue and benefit spending. Results point to large costs for societies from childhood socio-economic disadvantage, totalling on average the equivalent of 3.4% of GDP annually.
Classification-JEL: I31; I32; J13
Keywords: children, education, families, health, inequality
Creation-Date: 2022-11-25
Number: 9
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:9-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Carlotta Balestra
Author-Workplace-Name: OECD
Author-Name: ‪Emanuele Ciani
Title: Current challenges to social mobility and equality of opportunity
Abstract: The current economic environment, the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing megatrends, such as digitalisation and the green transformation, threaten equality of opportunity and social mobility for current and future generations. High-quality cross-country evidence is necessary to implement policies to mitigate these threats, but critical data gaps remain.This paper provides updated indicators on equality of opportunity and social mobility across OECD countries and discusses ongoing challenges and opportunities to break down barriers to social mobility and promote equal opportunities for all. It also reviews four areas where more evidence is needed to inform effective policies: the extent of opportunity gaps across population groups; how unequal upbringings affect chances later in life; how growing economic insecurity and large wealth inequalities limit social mobility; and unequal distribution of opportunities across cities and regions. Work in these areas will inform the agenda of the OECD Observatory on Social Mobility and Equal Opportunity.
Classification-JEL: D31; D63; J15; J16; J62; J71
Keywords: discrimination, equal opportunity, inequality, social mobility
Creation-Date: 2022-11-25
Number: 10
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:10-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Carlotta Balestra
Author-Name: Friderike Oehler
Title: Measuring the joint distribution of household income, consumption and wealth at the micro level
Abstract: This paper provides an overview of the work of the Expert Group on the Joint Distribution of Income, Consumption and Wealth at Micro Level (EG ICW) set up by Eurostat and the OECD. It discusses the challenges of producing joint income, consumption and wealth estimates, assesses their quality, and presents selected experimental results. Although the analysis reveals large differences between countries, a number of general patterns emerge. First, income, consumption and wealth are partially correlated, with the association being stronger in the tails of the joint distribution than around its middle. Second, risk of poverty goes beyond income, with asset and consumption risk of poverty being widespread, especially among some population groups. Third, a large share of households spend more than they earn. This is corroborated by negative median saving rates for households in the bottom income quintile. Fourth, inequalities are significantly higher when using a comprehensive measure of material living standards than a distributional analysis of disposable income would suggest. Looking ahead, this paper calls for further efforts to improve the robustness of the results.
Classification-JEL: C81; D12; D31; E21; I32
Keywords: consumption inequality, experimental statistics, income inequality, wealth inequality
Creation-Date: 2023-01-25
Number: 11
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:11-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Horacio Levy
Title: Nowcasting and provisional estimates of income inequality using microsimulation techniques
Abstract: The OECD Income Distribution Database (IDD) plays a leading role in providing evidence, and in monitoring and analysing international income distribution statistics to inform policy debate. In most OECD countries, official income distribution statistics are usually delivered with time lags varying from two to three years. This paper examines the growing use by statistical offices of nowcasting techniques based on microsimulation models to produce more timely provisional estimates, and examines the advantages and challenges associated with these techniques. The paper also presents provisional estimates of income inequality in 2020 for a selection of OECD countries, based on a compilation carried out by the OECD Secretariat in collaboration with Eurostat and national statistical offices. Finally, it discusses potential future developments and applications of these techniques.
Classification-JEL: C81; D31; E27
Keywords: income distribution, microsimulation, nowcasting
Creation-Date: 2023-02-21
Number: 12
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:12-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Carlotta Balestra
Author-Name: Donald Hirsch
Author-Name: Daniel Vaughan-Whitehead
Title: Living wages in context: A comparative analysis for OECD countries
Abstract: At a time of rising cost of living, wide wage inequalities and widespread in-work poverty, the demand for a living wage has heightened. The concept of a “living wage” has some limitations, including that it is operationalised in a variety of ways. This variety may serve the purpose of making it a more relevant instrument, typically by providing information on the cost of living that firms and social partners may embed in their wage-setting processes; however, the variety can also increase a lack of transparency. The paper reviews some of the most common methodologies, by identifying points of convergence and divergence. Living wage estimates produced by the Fair Wage Network are then put into context by benchmarking them against internationally comparable wage metrics and poverty lines. Finally, the paper presents a number of critical steps to strengthen the concept of a living wage. This paper does not assess the economic cost or feasibility of living wages, not at the firm level or at the broader industry and economy level. This paper advises using the living wage as one of the pieces of information that – when properly contextualised – could inform wage negotiations and wage policies set in consultation with social partners.
Classification-JEL: E21; E31; J31; I32
Keywords: living wages, minimum wages, poverty lines, wage levels
Creation-Date: 2023-04-24
Number: 13
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:13-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Lara Fleischer
Author-Name: Liva Stokenberga
Title: Well-being in Finland: Bringing together people, economy and planet
Abstract: Drawing on the OECD Well-being Framework, this paper outlines the state of well-being outcomes in Finland and identifies strengths, weaknesses and trends compared to other OECD countries. Overall, Finland is an established international leader in well-being and sustainability. Six key insights highlight the several challenges for well-being that remain in Finland and should be addressed in a comprehensive, balanced and inclusive way. These insights have been identified by considering economic, social, and environmental outcomes – and inequalities in these – simultaneously, to highlight the type of policy-relevant findings that arise when applying a well-being approach to measuring progress.
Classification-JEL: A12; I31; J88; A13
Keywords: well-being analysis, well-being metrics
Creation-Date: 2023-04-24
Number: 14
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:14-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Vincent Siegerink
Title: Valuing business impacts in the areas of wage inequality and employee well-being
Abstract: This working paper proposes a methodology to monetise five aspects of employee well-being (wage inequality, being employed, excess working hours, relationships with management and job security) using theoretical and empirical frameworks drawn from welfare economics. Preliminary results highlight a large loss of welfare arising from within-firm wage inequality as well as a strong impact of working conditions on workers’ well-being. On the aggregate, suppressing the negative externalities of the firm linked to excess working hours, tensions with management and job insecurity would yield an increase in social welfare equivalent to a 25% increase in household income, representing many years of economic growth. Greater transparency on company wage distributions and working conditions is necessary to apply these methodologies to real firms.
Classification-JEL: J31; J81; M52; I31
Keywords: employee well-being, monetary valuation, Wage inequality, working conditions
Creation-Date: 2023-06-08
Number: 15
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:15-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Gráinne Dirwan
Author-Name: Olivier Thévenon
Title: Integrated policy making for child well-being: Common approaches and challenges ahead
Abstract: Good policy making for child well-being calls for government ministries, agencies and other service providers to better collaborate and focus on a small number of key child well-being issues. "Integrated policy making for child well-being: Common approaches and challenges ahead" takes stock of OECD countries’ recent initiatives to strengthen the integration of child well-being policies. It documents OECD countries’ experiences of implementing integrated policy plans for child well-being and child-specific policy tools, specifically child indicator sets, child impact assessments and child budgeting. It lays out the challenges facing countries as they work to push the child well-being policy agenda forward and discusses what countries can do to become more effective. Pursuing efforts to strengthen the integration of child well-being policies is costly. Accordingly, it’s important for countries to proactively consider the arising challenges and to look at options to overcome or avoid altogether the common pitfalls.
Classification-JEL: D78; J13; I31
Keywords: child budgeting, child impact assessments, child indicator sets, child policy, child well-being
Creation-Date: 2023-07-18
Number: 16
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:16-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Jessica Mahoney
Title: Subjective well-being measurement: Current practice and new frontiers
Abstract: In the ten years since the OECD published its 2013 Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being, the inclusion of evaluative, affective and eudaimonic indicators in national measurement frameworks and household surveys has grown. Country practice has converged around a standard measure of life satisfaction, however affective and eudaimonic measures remain less harmonised. This working paper combines findings from a stock take of OECD member state uptake of Guidelines recommendations with advances in the academic evidence base to highlight three focal areas for future work. Looking ahead, the OECD should prioritise (i) revisiting recommendations on affective indicators, particularly in light of recent OECD recommendations on measuring mental health; (ii) reviewing progress towards operationalising measures of eudaimonia; and (iii) creating new extended modules to measure the subjective well-being of children, to deepen advice on domain-specific life evaluation measures, and to further develop more globally inclusive measures, drawing on (for example) concepts of subjective well-being developed in Indigenous contexts and beyond western European/North American research literatures.
Classification-JEL: I31; I38; D91
Keywords: happiness, life satisfaction, mental health, subjective well-being
Creation-Date: 2023-09-08
Number: 17
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:17-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Jakub Caisl
Author-Name: Luiz Hermida
Author-Name: Horacio Levy
Author-Name: Bálint Menyhért
Title: The uneven impact of high inflation
Abstract: Inflation indices – such as the national Consumer Price Indices (CPI) and the EU Harmonised Indices of Consumer Prices (HICP) – measure price changes for the overall economy, which may not reflect the inflation experience of an individual household or group of households. This paper contributes to previous studies of the distributive impact of recent high inflation in EU Member States. Producing more granular and recent results, this paper finds a substantial rise in effective inflation dispersion across households and confirms that lower-income households continue to experience higher inflation. This inflation gap remains even after energy prices have eased and when controlling for other household characteristics. Results also show that the distributive impact of inflation on household groups has varied over time, as changes in relative prices across the inflationary period have influenced the extent of the impact of inflation across population groups. Finally, differences in effective inflation rates have cumulated over time, particularly for households with lower-income and headed by people aged 60 years or more and with lower levels of education.
Classification-JEL: D12; D14; E31; I31; D3
Keywords: cost of living, household consumption, inflation inequality, inflation measurement
Creation-Date: 2023-10-03
Number: 18
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:18-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Chris Clarke
Author-Name: Olivier Thévenon
Title: Childhood socio-economic disadvantage in Austria: A snapshot of key challenges
Abstract: In Europe, the introduction of the Council Recommendation establishing a European Child Guarantee has helped put concerns relating to childhood disadvantages higher up on the policy agenda. Structured around ensuring effective access to a series of key child services, the ultimate goal of the European Child Guarantee is to promote opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds and help stop the transmission of poverty and social exclusion across generations. But as European countries move forward with their plans for implementation, it is important to understand what child disadvantage looks like, as well as the potential lifelong effects it can have on children’s lives. This paper explores childhood socio-economic disadvantage in Austria from a comparative perspective. It sketches the breadth and depth of child poverty and material deprivation in Austria today, and discusses the potential longer-run economic costs of childhood disadvantage once disadvantaged children reach adulthood, based on findings from Clarke et al. (2022). It also discusses key policy challenges Austria will need to consider to tackle childhood socio-economic disadvantage.
Classification-JEL: I31; I32; J13
Keywords: child poverty, childhood disadvantage, children, education, families, health, inequality
Creation-Date: 2023-11-23
Number: 19
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:19-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Lawrence M. Berger
Author-Name: Lidia Panico
Author-Name: Alexandra Sheridan
Author-Name: Olivier Thévenon
Title: Parental emotional support and adolescent well-being: A cross-national examination of socio-economic and gender gaps based on PISA 2018 surveys
Abstract: Parental emotional support, alongside material and temporal support, is an important determinant of children's subjective well-being and academic success. However, not all children benefit from the same level of parental support, and there are major differences depending on families' socio-economic status and child gender. Using the PISA 2018 surveys, this paper examines differences in parental support reported by 15-year-olds both within countries according to social status and between girls and boys, and between countries. We show that differences in parental emotional support by parents' education level and child gender are substantial. Some of these differences are (largely) explained by other characteristics such as family wealth, country of origin, and school urbanicity and private/public status. Greater parental emotional support is also found to be associated with higher PISA test scores and greater subjective wellbeing, with little variation by parental education. On the whole, our findings suggest that a significant enhancement in parental support and related child outcomes, especially in countries with lower average levels of parental emotional support, can be attained through a combined effort on several fronts: by addressing monetary and material poverty within families, by facilitating parents in balancing work and taking care of their children, by promoting greater parental involvement in their children's school life, and by offering appropriate services to assist families with special needs and facing greater challenges.
Classification-JEL: I31; I32; J13
Keywords: child well-being, children, parental emotional support, parenting
Creation-Date: 2024-01-25
Number: 20
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:20-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Title: The art of living well: Cultural participation and well-being
Abstract: This paper first presents a meta-analysis of the causal impact of cultural participation on well-being. The meta-analysis classifies the literature according to the strength of the evidence available and various types of cultural activities. Secondly, this paper uses data from time use surveys from Canada, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States to study individuals’ emotional responses to a series of daily activities. This is then used as a basis for an empirical assessment of the drivers of time allocation across different activities, showing that expectations of future well-being are one of the reasons why individuals decide to engage in cultural activities. Furthermore, the model helps explain why cultural participation, in spite of being one of the most enjoyable human activities, is also the least undertaken. We show that heterogeneity of preferences results in a strong selection effect in available statistics.
Classification-JEL: I31; J22; Z11; Z18
Keywords: arts, cultural activities, experienced well-being, time use survey, U-index, well-being
Creation-Date: 2024-03-29
Number: 21
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:21-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Jihye Lee
Author-Name: Elena Tosetto
Title: Measuring well-being “beyond GDP” in Asia, South-East Asia and Korea
Abstract: Existing well-being measurement initiatives in the region, such as the Quality of Life Indicators in Korea, Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index and Quality of Life Index in the Philippines, shed some insight on dimensions that should be considered for measuring well-being beyond GDP in Asia. Dimensions of housing, health, education, environment and civic engagement recur across several Asian well-being measurement frameworks, as well as dimensions such as family and culture which are more characteristic of the region. Identifying vulnerable population groups and securing better evidence on social mobility are also necessary to better measure progress in the region. Going forward, it would be helpful for countries to exchange knowledge on how well-being data available can be used for policy making in a more concrete way, for example, by including it in national development plans or budgeting processes.
Classification-JEL: I30; I31; I38
Keywords: happiness, quality of life, sustainable development, well-being
Creation-Date: 2024-04-02
Number: 22
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:22-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Milenko Fadic
Title: Mapping well-being in France
Abstract: This paper provides two innovative measures of well-being for French communes, namely a well-being aggregate index and an index of multi-dimensional poverty. These measures provide an unprecedented view of well-being at the local level by using 7 of the 11 key dimensions of the OECD Better Life Initiative (income, unemployment, housing, education, civic engagement, health and environmental quality). The results show that joint deprivation in at least five dimensions of well-being is starkly concentrated among 316 communes, representing as many as 5.2 million inhabitants (7.7% of the French population).
Classification-JEL: I14; I31; I32
Keywords: poverty, spatial inequality, well-being
Creation-Date: 2024-04-04
Number: 23
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:23-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Vincent Siegerink
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Title: An OECD survey of employee well-being: An instrument to measure employee well-being inside companies
Abstract: This working paper provides an overview of a standardised Employee Well-being Survey implemented in four companies in Japan. This survey aligns with international measurement guidelines and practices, including the 2017 OECD Guidelines on Measuring the Quality of the Working Environment, it has been developed under the guidance of the Committee on Statistics and Statistical Policy, and it allows for the calculation at firm level of an equivalent of the Job Strain index, namely the third pillar of the OECD Job Quality framework. The objectives of the study were: i) to pilot the new Employee Well-being Survey at the firm level; ii) to demonstrate the potential of harmonised employee survey data as a source of information on business social performance, with associated benefits for companies, stakeholders, investors, governments and national statistical offices; and iii) to operationalise one element of a proposed framework on measuring non-financial performance of businesses.
Classification-JEL: I31; J81; M54; C83
Keywords: corporate sustainability, Employee well-being, working conditions
Creation-Date: 2024-05-06
Number: 24
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:24-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Olivier Thévenon
Author-Name: Chris Clarke
Author-Name: Gaëlle Simard-Duplain
Title: The economic cost of childhood socio-economic disadvantage in Canada
Abstract: While child poverty has decreased significantly in recent years due to increased support for families with children, measures to assist socio-economically disadvantaged children only partially address their challenges. To enhance equality of opportunity and social mobility in Canada, it is crucial to strengthen efforts addressing the root causes of socio-economic disadvantages and bridge gaps in policies aimed at reducing child poverty. This paper presents an overview of child poverty trends in Canada and discusses the challenges associated with the Poverty Reduction Strategy aimed at enhancing equality of opportunity and social mobility.
Classification-JEL: I31; I32; J13
Keywords: child poverty, childhood disadvantage, children, education, health, inequality
Creation-Date: 2024-05-24
Number: 25
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:25-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Suzana Hardy
Author-Name: Tom Schraepen
Title: The state and effects of discrimination in the European Union
Abstract: Despite European Union efforts to fight discrimination as part of its Union of Equality strategies, it is difficult to analyse discrimination in EU Member States given the scarcity of official data sources. This paper uses new survey data to examine discrimination against people from racialised communities, LGBTIQ+ people, persons with disability and religious minorities. It explores the role discrimination plays in driving well-being gaps between at-risk groups and the majority of the population. Discrimination, particularly when it occurs frequently, is associated with severe effects across many aspects of people’s lives – constraining income-earning opportunities, exacerbating housing and financial stress, subjecting people to violence, fear and low self-esteem, and contributing to mental ill health. These consequences come at a huge personal cost to the individuals directly affected and to society as a whole.
Classification-JEL: D63; I31; J14; J15; J71
Keywords: discrimination, inclusion, social cohesion, well-being
Creation-Date: 2024-06-12
Number: 26
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:26-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: Max Salomon-Ermel
Title: Nowcasting subjective well-being with Google Trends: A meta-learning approach
Abstract: This paper applies Machine learning techniques to Google Trends data to provide real-time estimates of national average subjective well-being among 38 OECD countries since 2010. We make extensive usage of large custom micro databases to enhance the training of models on carefully pre-processed Google Trends data. We find that the best one-year-ahead prediction is obtained from a meta-learner that combines the predictions drawn from an Elastic Net with and without interactions, from a Gradient-Boosted Tree and from a Multi-layer Perceptron. As a result, across 38 countries over the 2010-2020 period, the out-of-sample prediction of average subjective well-being reaches an R2 of 0.830.
Classification-JEL: C1; C45; C53; D60; I31
Keywords: poverty, spatial inequality, well-being
Creation-Date: 2024-06-28
Number: 27
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:27-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Jessica Mahoney
Author-Name: Lara Fleischer
Author-Name: Gaia Bottura
Author-Name: Katherine Scrivens
Title: Measuring social connectedness in OECD countries: A scoping review
Abstract: Social connections refer to the ways that people interact with and relate to one another. Their role in shaping well-being is increasingly recognised by government, alongside an understanding of the role public policy plays in creating the structures that promote or hinder connectedness. To improve the evidence base on this emerging policy priority and lay the groundwork for full measurement recommendations, this paper reviews a selection of official surveys fielded in OECD countries to understand patterns in data collection, establish priority areas for harmonisation, and create an inventory of available measures. The results are encouraging, in that all countries measure social connections. Yet challenges remain: (1) despite policy attention, loneliness is included in fewer than half of surveys, (2) there is little convergence in the actual indicators used to measure concepts like “loneliness”, “social support” or "frequency of socialising", and (3) survey frequency, particularly for time use, could be improved.
Classification-JEL: I12; I31; C83
Keywords: loneliness, social connections, social isolation
Creation-Date: 2024-09-04
Number: 28
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:28-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Jihye Lee
Author-Name: Žiga Žarnic
Title: The impact of digital technologies on well-being: Main insights from the literature
Abstract: Digital technologies are reshaping our lives, with significant impacts on personal and societal well-being. As these technologies are increasingly integrated into everyday life, it is crucial to raise awareness on their positive and negative impacts which are reviewed in this paper. While innovations like AI in healthcare and assistive devices empower individuals and improve access, they also introduce risks such as mental health challenges, misinformation, and privacy breaches. Raising awareness around digital risks helps individuals make smarter, safer decisions. At the same time, empowerment is about more than just awareness; it involves giving users control over their digital experiences, equipping them with the skills to harness technology for education, employment, and personal growth. Ultimately, responsible digital use is essential for safeguarding data privacy, supporting democratic values and respecting ethical standards. While digital technologies have the power to level the playing field, they can deepen existing inequalities if access and skills are unevenly distributed. Bridging digital divides through tailored inclusive solutions is equally important. Understanding the relationship between technology use and well-being is therefore key, but further research is needed to fully grasp these dynamics.
Classification-JEL: I1; I3
Keywords: civic engagement, digital divide, digitalisation, health, personal safety, social connections, subjective well-being, well-being, work-life balance
Creation-Date: 2024-11-05
Number: 29
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:29-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Saamah Abdallah
Author-Name: Jessica Mahoney
Title: Measuring eudaimonic components of subjective well-being: Updated evidence to inform national data collections
Abstract: The OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being recommended measuring three aspects of subjective well-being: evaluative, affective and eudaimonic. However, recommendations regarding eudaimonia were tentative and reflected the lack of consensus on the concept in the literature at that time. This working paper considers different theories of eudaimonia and draws on recent advances in the field of subjective well-being to propose new working definitions for eudaimonia and eudaimonic feelings. It brings together evidence on how eudaimonic feelings lead to other desirable outcomes including long-term health and pro-social behaviour, and presents new analysis on how different aspects of eudaimonia are predicted by policy-relevant variables. It then suggests 12 elements of eudaimonia to be measured, of which four form a core set, and identifies suitable survey items to measure each. These recommendations will be submitted for consideration as a part of planned work to update the 2013 OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being.
Classification-JEL: D91; I38; I31
Keywords: eudaimonia, happiness, inequalities, measurement, subjective well-being, validity, well-being
Creation-Date: 2024-12-10
Number: 30
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:30-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Laura Kudrna
Author-Name: Tharuka Nanomi Arachchige
Author-Name: Lailah Alidu
Author-Name: Paul Dolan
Author-Name: Jessica Mahoney
Title: Measuring affective components of subjective well-being: Updated evidence to inform national data collections
Abstract: This working paper provides evidence about measuring affective components of subjective well-being in official national surveys. It considers the validity of different affective components, and the modes and contexts through which measurements can be elicited. A rapid systematic review and examples from OECD countries underpin suggested recommendations for consideration in updating existing guidance. These are: 1) measure feelings of loneliness, pain, meaning and joy, which have strong validity, 2) use abbreviated day reconstruction method diaries to minimise recall bias and response burden, and 3) measure affect with questions that have short recall periods, contain language people understand, are placed early on in surveys in a random order and are self-administered. Additionally, we suggest 4) measuring clinical conditions like depression and anxiety with validated diagnostic tests when making a trade-off between clinical and other measures. Future research should 5) provide distributions of – and correlations between – affective, evaluative and mental health items.
Classification-JEL: D91; I38; I31
Keywords: affective well-being, happiness, inequalities, measurement, mental health, subjective well-being, validity, well-being
Creation-Date: 2024-12-17
Number: 31
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:31-EN

Template-type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Julien Bonnet
Author-Name: ‪Emanuele Ciani
Author-Name: Gianluca Grimalda
Author-Name: Fabrice Murtin
Author-Name: David Pipke
Title: What explains preferences for redistribution?: Evidence from an international survey
Abstract: Income redistribution differs widely across countries. Several theories have been developed to account for such differences. However, we know little about their relative importance. This working paper fills this gap by contrasting the main theories of preferences for redistribution in a unified empirical framework. Using nationally representative samples of Germany, Italy, Japan, Slovenia, the UK and the US, we find that the belief in equal opportunities to get ahead in life is the strongest predictor of demand for redistribution. The perception of immigrants as a threat significantly reduces preferences for redistribution, whereas other factors such as self-interest, social capital, and experimentally measured pro-sociality play lesser roles. We uncover significant cross-country heterogeneity; for instance, beliefs in equal opportunities strongly influence redistribution preferences in the US, UK, and Germany but are less impactful elsewhere. Contrary to previous research, beliefs in equal opportunities show no significant differences by political orientation, indicating a widely accepted, ideologically neutral view of fairness.
Classification-JEL: D63; D64; H23; H24
Keywords: beliefs, equal opportunity, redistribution, social preferences
Creation-Date: 2024-12-17
Number: 32
Handle: RePEc:oec:wiseaa:32-EN