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46
then affects health satisfaction. Lagged concerns about finances also have a negative
effect on health satisfaction.
The 2SLS results for the older age group show that health has a positive and
significant effect on health satisfaction and that the effect is underestimated in the first
difference specification. Both current and lagged increases in worries about finances
decrease one’s health satisfaction. Income does not have a significant effect on health
satisfaction for the older age group, though being unemployed and the unemployment
rate do have significant effects. The only health care variable that is significant in the
second stage is private insurance for the older age group. Few people elect to have
private insurance, so this group may have different characteristics than the rest of the
population. The other proxies for health care do not appear to be determinants of health
satisfaction. This could be because health care is not important conditional on health, or
because the benefits negate the drawbacks of the new health care system in East
Germany.
Taken together, these results indicate that health is an important determinant of
health satisfaction and that stress about personal economic circumstances contributes
directly and indirectly to one’s health satisfaction. Recall from Figures 1.6 an 1.7 that
health declined for both age groups, but the decline was more substantial for the younger
age group. A one-unit increase in self-reported health would increase health satisfaction
by 1.28 units and 1.53 units for the younger group and older group, respectively. The
significant coefficient on health indicates that there is less than complete short-term
adaption to changes in health. If the young East Germans had the same trend in self-
46
Object Description
| Title | Essays on health and well-being |
| Author | Zweig, Jacqueline Smith |
| Author email | smith2@usc.edu; jackiesmith04@yahoo.com |
| Degree | Doctor of Philosophy |
| Document type | Dissertation |
| Degree program | Economics |
| School | College of Letters, Arts and Sciences |
| Date defended/completed | 2011-03-23 |
| Date submitted | 2011 |
| Restricted until | Restricted until 26 Apr. 2012. |
| Date published | 2012-04-26 |
| Advisor (committee chair) |
Easterlin, Richard A. Ham, John C. |
| Advisor (committee member) | Melguizo, Tatiana |
| Abstract | This dissertation is comprised of three chapters that use microeconometric techniques to investigate the factors that affect people’s well-being. In the first two chapters, well-being is defined as life satisfaction or health satisfaction. The first chapter explores how the movement from socialism to capitalism affected the life satisfaction and health satisfaction of East Germans relative to West Germans after reunification. The second chapter examines whether women are happier, less happy, or equally happy as men in countries at various stages of development. The third chapter examines whether pollution affects the academic performance of school children; their academic performance and achievements will have important implications for their future well-being. |
| Keyword | happiness; well-being |
| Geographic subject | Germany |
| Geographic subject (state) | California |
| Geographic subject (country) | USA |
| Coverage date | 1990/2010; 2002/2008 |
| Language | English |
| Part of collection | University of Southern California dissertations and theses |
| Publisher (of the original version) | University of Southern California |
| Place of publication (of the original version) | Los Angeles, California |
| Publisher (of the digital version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
| Provenance | Electronically uploaded by the author |
| Type | texts |
| Legacy record ID | usctheses-m3782 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Rights | Zweig, Jacqueline Smith |
| Repository name | Libraries, University of Southern California |
| Repository address | Los Angeles, California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Filename | etd-Zweig-4500 |
| Archival file | uscthesesreloadpub_Volume23/etd-Zweig-4500.pdf |
Description
| Title | Page 55 |
| Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
| Repository email | cisadmin@lib.usc.edu |
| Full text | 46 then affects health satisfaction. Lagged concerns about finances also have a negative effect on health satisfaction. The 2SLS results for the older age group show that health has a positive and significant effect on health satisfaction and that the effect is underestimated in the first difference specification. Both current and lagged increases in worries about finances decrease one’s health satisfaction. Income does not have a significant effect on health satisfaction for the older age group, though being unemployed and the unemployment rate do have significant effects. The only health care variable that is significant in the second stage is private insurance for the older age group. Few people elect to have private insurance, so this group may have different characteristics than the rest of the population. The other proxies for health care do not appear to be determinants of health satisfaction. This could be because health care is not important conditional on health, or because the benefits negate the drawbacks of the new health care system in East Germany. Taken together, these results indicate that health is an important determinant of health satisfaction and that stress about personal economic circumstances contributes directly and indirectly to one’s health satisfaction. Recall from Figures 1.6 an 1.7 that health declined for both age groups, but the decline was more substantial for the younger age group. A one-unit increase in self-reported health would increase health satisfaction by 1.28 units and 1.53 units for the younger group and older group, respectively. The significant coefficient on health indicates that there is less than complete short-term adaption to changes in health. If the young East Germans had the same trend in self- 46 |
