Associate Professors of Economics Ann Owen and Julio Videras and Scholar in Residence Chris Willemsen have authored an article for the Social Science Quarterly (vol. 89, December 2008). In the article "Democracy, Participation, and Life Satisfaction," Owen, Videras, and Willemsen used data on life satisfaction for individuals in 46 countries.
The results showed that democracy is positively correlated with life satisfaction. The opportunity to participate in the political process and whether the democracy is parliamentary or presidential are also related to individual subjective well-being.
The results showed that democracy is positively correlated with life satisfaction. The opportunity to participate in the political process and whether the democracy is parliamentary or presidential are also related to individual subjective well-being.
