Mutlu Gezegen Endeksi: Dünyanın En Mutlu Ülkelerinden Panel Veri Bulguları

Year 2019, Issue: EK SAYI (2019) - Year: 2019 Volume: Ek Number: Ek, 181 - 202, 01.12.2019

Nüket Kırcı Çevik Buket Kırcı Altınkeski Tuğba Kantarcı

Abstract

Mutluluk kavramı bireylerin hayatlarında ulaşmayı hedeflediği nihai amaç olarak karşımıza çıkarken, iktisatçılar mutluluk ölçümlerini daha çok makroekonomik parametrelere dayalı olarak gerçekleştir-mişlerdir. Son yıllarda ise; ülkelerin ekonomik performansları kadar sosyal, politik ve kültürel göstergelerinin de bireylerin mutluluğu üzerinde de etkili olduğu anlaşılmıştır. Yeni nesil mutluluk endeksle-ri; yaşam beklentisi, ekolojik ayak izi, gelir dağılımı, sürdürülebilir çevre gibi faktörlere odaklanarak Costa Rica, Mexico, Vanuatu gibi ülkeleri mutluluk sıralamasında en üst sıraya yerleştirmiştir. Bu ça-lışmanın amacı, dünyanın en mutlu ülkelerini temel alarak mutluluk ile makroekonomik, sosyal ve politik göstergeler arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Çalışmada görece yeni bir mutluluk göstergesi olarak New Economics Foundation tarafından hesaplanan Happy Planet Index HPI dikkate alınmıştır. Analiz aşamasında, 2006-2016 periyo-dunda dünyanın en mutlu onaltı ülkesini kapsayan veri setine panel veri analiz teknikleri uygulanmıştır. Çalışmadan elde edilen bulgu-lar, geleneksel makroekonomik göstergeler ile HPI arasında negatif ve istatistiksel olarak anlamlı ilişkiler olduğunu ortaya çıkarmıştır. Sosyal ve politik göstergeler ile HPI arasında da pozitif ilişki tespit edilmiştir.

Keywords

Mutluluk, Mutlu Gezegen Endeksi, Panel Regresyon Analizi

Happy Planet Index: Panel Data Evidence from the Happiest Parts of the World

Abstract

While the concept of happiness is the ultimate goal that individuals aim to achieve in their lives, economists performed happiness meas-urements based on macroeconomic parameters. In recent years, it has been understood that the social, political and cultural indicators of countries have an impact on the happiness of individuals as well as their economic performance. New generation happiness indexes focusing on factors such as life expectancy, ecological footprint, in-come distribution, sustainable environment, it has placed countries such as Costa Rica, Mexico and Vanuatu at the top of the list of happi-ness. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between happiness and macroeconomic, social and political indicators based on the happiest countries in the world. In this study, the Happy Plan-et Index HPI calculated by the New Economics Foundation was considered as a relatively new indicator of happiness. During the analysis phase, panel data analysis techniques were applied to the data set covering the twenty happiest countries in the world in 2006-2016 period. This study finds that conventional macroeconomic indi-cators are statistically significant in explaining HPI, though the rela-tionship is negative. Causal relationships between social and political indicators and HPI were also determined.

Keywords

Happiness, Happy Planet Index, Panel Regression Analysis.

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