Paradox and Perception: Measuring Quality of Life in Latin America

Table of Contents

Foreword xi Acknowledgments xiii 1 How Latin Americans Assess Their Quality of Life: Insights and Puzzles from Novel Metrics of Well-Being 1 Carol Graham and Jere R. Behrman 2 Objective and Subjective Deprivation 22 Leonardo Gasparini, Walter Sosa Escudero, Mariana Marchionni, and Sergio Olivieri 3 The Conflictive Relationship between Satisfaction and Income 57 Eduardo Lora and Juan Camilo Chaparro 4 Satisfaction beyond Income 96 Eduardo Lora, Juan Camilo Chaparro, and María Victoria Rodríguez 5 Vulnerabilities and Subjective Well-Being 118 Mauricio Cárdenas, Carolina Mejía, and Vicenzo di Maro Contents vi contents 6 Health Perceptions and Quality of Life in Latin America 158 Carol Graham and Eduardo Lora 7 Education and Life Satisfaction: Perception or Reality? 192 Mauricio Cárdenas, Carolina Mejía, and Vincenzo Di Maro 8 Job Insecurity and Life Satisfaction 227 Naercio Aquino Menezes-Filho, Raphael Botura Corbi, and Andrea Zaitune Curi Contributors 249 Index 251 List of Figures, Tables, and Boxes Figures 1-1 Happiness and Income per Capita, 1990s 4 2-1 Current, Past, and Future Life Satisfaction 41 3-1a Growth of Gross Domestic Product per Capita by Region and Decade, 1981–2006 60 3-1b Gross Domestic Product per Capita by Region and Decade, 1981–2006 60 3-2a Growth of Gross Domestic Product per Capita, Average 2001–2006 61 3-2b Gross Domestic Product per Capita, Average 2001–2006 62 3-3a Perceptions of Satisfaction with Life and the Situation of the Country 64 3-3b Perceptions of Personal Economic Situation and Economic Situation of the Country 65 3-3c Perceptions of Own Health and National Health System 66 3-3d Perceptions of the Education System 67 3-3e Perceptions of Employment and Labor Public Policy 68 3-3f Perceptions of Own Housing and Housing Market 69 3-4a Relation between GDP per Capita and Life Satisfaction, 122 Countries 71 3-4b Relation between Economic Growth and Life Satisfaction, 120 Countries 75 4-1 Life Satisfaction in Rich and Poor Countries 99 4-2 Food Insecurity and per Capita Income 107 4-3 Amount of Extra Income Needed to Maintain an Individual’s Initial Level of Satisfaction 111 5-1 Personality Trait Factor 125 5-2 Types of Insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean— Total Incidence 127 5-3a Incidence of Different Types of Insecurities: Assault, Muggings, Street Safety 128 5-3b Incidence of Different Types of Insecurities: Gangs and Drugs 129 5-3c Incidence of Different Types of Insecurities: Nutritional and Job Insecurity 130 5-4 Intensity of Insecurity in Latin America and the Caribbean 131 5-5 Percentage of Respondents: “Completely Secure” vs. “Not Secure at All” 132 5-6 Nutritional and Job Insecurity by Income Quintiles in Latin America and the Caribbean 133 5-7 Victimization Measures by Income Quintiles in Latin America and the Caribbean 133 5-8 Nutritional and Job Insecurity by Educational Attainment in Latin America and the Caribbean 134 5-9 Victimization Measures by Educational Attainment in Latin America and the Caribbean 134 5-10 Life Satisfaction Measure: “Ladder” Question 135 5-11 Satisfaction with Standard of Living 136 5-12 Satisfaction with Choosing What to Do with One’s Life 137 6-1a Self-Reported Health Satisfaction and GDP per Capita 165 6-1b Self-Reported Health Satisfaction and Life Expectancy 165 6-2 Health Satisfaction—Three Alternative Measures 166 6-3 Relation between Two Measures of Self-Reported Health: Health Satisfaction and Health State, Chile and Guatemala 167 6-4 National Measures of Health Intolerance and Dispersion Based on Health Satisfaction and Health State 168 6-5 Relation between Health Satisfaction, Age, and Gender 172 6-6 Income Equivalences of Health Conditions in EQ-5D 182 6-7 Life Expectancy and GDP, by Country Size 186 7-1 Educational Quality Perceptions in Gallup World Poll 196 7-2 Educational Quality Perceptions in Gallup World Poll by Income Quintiles for Latin America 197 7-3 Educational Quality Perceptions in the Global Competitiveness Report, 2006 198 7-4 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) Scores, 2006 199 contents vii 7-5 Average Educational Level Completed 201 7-6 Highest Educational Levels Completed in Latin America by Income Quintiles 202 7-7 Well-Being Indicators in Gallup World Poll by Income Quintiles for Latin America 203 8-1 Job Insecurity and Retirement Plan 232 8-2 Life and Job Satisfaction 233 8-3 Marginal Effect of Being Employed across...