"Hope is a little-studied concept in economics, but it's a fundamental aspect of the economy. We know that hope is largely a positive trait that helps individuals manage life's challenges, and its role is particularly important in how we think about the disadvantaged. Distinct from aspirations,...

Crime and insecurity are increasingly common features of life in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly in urban areas. Victimization rates in the region are the highest in the world, with the exception of Sub-Saharan Africa. This publication explores how victimization and perceptions of...

This paper assesses the effects of different health conditions on happiness. Based on a large data set for Latin America, the effects of different conditions are examined across age, gender, and income cohorts. Anxiety and pain have stronger effects than physical problems, likely because people...

This paper assesses the effects of different health conditions on happiness. Based on a large data set for Latin America, the effects of different conditions are examined across age, gender, and income cohorts. Anxiety and pain have stronger effects than physical problems, likely because people...

U.S. income inequality has risen dramatically in recent decades. Researchers consistently find that greater income inequality measured at the state or national level is associated with diminished subjective well-being (SWB) in the U.S. We conduct the first multi-scale analysis (i.e., at the...