The starting point of this paper is the idea that individuals are characterized by hierarchical behavior. The theory of hierarchical needs implies that individuals have a priority approach to psychological well-being. This means that the most important needs must be satisfied first before the...

The “Easterlin paradox” suggests that there is no link between the economic development of a society and the overall happiness of its members, yet wealthy societies and people are happier than those with low income. Using recent data from Social Diagnosis (www.diagnoza.com) and several...

This study explores the factors that affect an individual’s happiness while transitioning into retirement. Recent studies highlight gradual retirement as an attractive option to older workers as they approach full retirement. However, it is not clear whether phasing or cold turkey makes for a...

One of the main economic outcomes of the recent great recession was the decrease of labour earnings in many countries. The relevant literature indicates that earnings and other socioeconomic predictors can influence psychological well-being. The same holds true for job satisfaction. This chapter...

The “Hedonistic Paradox” states that homo economicus, or someone who seeks happiness for him- or herself, will not find it, but the person who helps others will. This study examines two questions in connection with happiness and generosity. First, do more generous people, as identified in...

This study explores the factors that affect an individual’s happiness while transitioning into retirement. Recent studies highlight gradual retirement as an attractive option to older workers as they approach full retirement. However, it is not clear whether phasing or cold turkey makes for a...

One of the two price indexation schemes in the staggered price DSGE models is the indexation to the average inflation. In this essay we show that using average of inflation as index multiplier may lead to the deviation from the optimal price for intermediate good producer. Although there is no...

We investigate the sustainability of Italy's public finances from 1862 to 2012 adopting a non-linear perspective. Specifically, we employ the smooth transition regression approach to explore the scope for non-linear fiscal adjustments of primary surpluses in response to the accumulation of debt....

The consumers of today are impulse and cautious buyers at the same time. This study basically comprehends the concept of non-linearity towards the consumer purchase behavior for either high or low involvement of products. The research was interesting to note the consumption patterns of different...

Based on the theoretical literature on price setting behavior, we model three distinct forms of nonlinearity that can describe the reduced-form Phillips curve: reaction asymmetry, state dependence and a mix of both. Employing these models to the G5 for the 1985-2011 period, we find that: (i) the...