Abstract
Thailand has been a global economic success story, transforming from one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia in the
1960s, to a modern and dynamic nation, and all within the lifetime of the current generation. However, growth has been accompanied
by marked increases in economic inequality both at the regional and individual levels. In this context studying how relatively
poor people appraise their situation (‘subjective wellbeing’) and how this relates to traditional ‘objective’ measures of
wellbeing such as wealth and basic needs is particularly relevant. This paper investigates the relationship between basic
needs as defined by the Theory of Human needs (THN, Doyal and Gough 1991), material wealth and happiness. Specifically, we intend to answer the following research question: Are wealth and basic
needs indicators always interchangeable when analyzing happiness determinants in low income settings? The paper focuses on
seven communities in the South and North-east of Thailand with contrasting levels of access to markets and services. It challenges
the common assumption that at low economic levels, wealth or income matter for people’s happiness because they increase satisfaction
of basic needs, arguing instead that wealth might contribute to happiness for personal or symbolic reasons, which are not
related to the use of goods as basic needs satisfiers. Thus, it suggests that indicators of wealth and basic needs should
not be used interchangeably when studying happiness determinants in low income settings.
1960s, to a modern and dynamic nation, and all within the lifetime of the current generation. However, growth has been accompanied
by marked increases in economic inequality both at the regional and individual levels. In this context studying how relatively
poor people appraise their situation (‘subjective wellbeing’) and how this relates to traditional ‘objective’ measures of
wellbeing such as wealth and basic needs is particularly relevant. This paper investigates the relationship between basic
needs as defined by the Theory of Human needs (THN, Doyal and Gough 1991), material wealth and happiness. Specifically, we intend to answer the following research question: Are wealth and basic
needs indicators always interchangeable when analyzing happiness determinants in low income settings? The paper focuses on
seven communities in the South and North-east of Thailand with contrasting levels of access to markets and services. It challenges
the common assumption that at low economic levels, wealth or income matter for people’s happiness because they increase satisfaction
of basic needs, arguing instead that wealth might contribute to happiness for personal or symbolic reasons, which are not
related to the use of goods as basic needs satisfiers. Thus, it suggests that indicators of wealth and basic needs should
not be used interchangeably when studying happiness determinants in low income settings.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Pages 1-20
- DOI 10.1007/s11205-011-9941-3
- Authors
- Monica Guillen-Royo, Center for Development and the Environment (SUM), University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- Jackeline Velazco, Economics Department, University of Girona, Campus de Montilivi, 17071 Girona, Spain
- Laura Camfield, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
- Journal Social Indicators Research
- Online ISSN 1573-0921
- Print ISSN 0303-8300