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Correlational findings

Study Gehring (2013): study ZZ World samples 1981

Public
18+ aged, 79 countries, 1981-2007
Survey name
INT-WorldValuesSurv 1-5
Sample
Respondents
N = 200000
Non Response
Assessment
Interview: face-to-face

Correlate

Authors's Label
Regulation
Our Classification
Remarks
Part of Economic Freedom Index (Fraser Institute: Gwartney, Hall, & Lawson, 2011).
Distribution
M=6,137  SD=1,169
Related specification variables
Operationalization
A: Credit market regulations
Aa: Ownership of banks
Ab: Private sector credit
Ac: Interest rate controls/negative real interest rates
B: Labour market regulations
Ba: Hiring regulations and minimum wage
Bb: Hiring and firing regulations
Bc: Centralized collective bargaining
Bd: Hours regulations
Be: Mandated cost of worker dismissal
Bf: Conscription
C: Business regulations
Ca: Administrative requirements
Cb: Bureaucracy costs
Cc: Starting a business
Cd: Extra payments/bribes/favoritism
Ce: Licensing restrictions
Cf: Cost of tax compliance

Observed Relation with Happiness

Happiness Measure Statistics Elaboration / Remarks O-HL-u-sq-v-4-a r = +.48 O-HL-u-sq-v-4-a b = +.05 p < .01 O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a r = +.40 O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.14 p < .05 O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.13 p < .05 Age below median in country O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.14 p < .05 Age above median in country O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.14 p < .05 Females only O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.13 p < .05 Males only O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.09 Lower class only (self rating) O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.13 p < .05 Upper and middle class only (self rating) O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.10 p < .10 Left wing only (self rating) O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.16 p < .01 Right wing only (self rating) O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.20 p < .05 Poor nations only (GDP per capita is less than $10,500) (N=58) O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.11 p < .10 Rich nations only (GDP per capita is more than $10,500) (N=49) O-HL-u-sq-v-4-a b = +.05 p < .10 Poor nations only (GDP per capita is less than $10,500) (N=58) O-HL-u-sq-v-4-a b = +.03 p < .10 Rich nations only (GDP per capita is more than $10,500) (N=49) O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a r = +.38 % VERY HAPPY (top 3 life satisfaction) by regulation in 79 nations. O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.02 p < .10 O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.02 p < .10 Poor nations only (GDP per capita is less than $10,500) (N=58) O-SLW-c-sq-n-10-a b = +.02 Rich nations only (GDP per capita is more than $10,500) (N=49)

b's control for:
- social trust
- belief in God
- investment price level
- log GDP per capita
- government share as a percentage of GDP
- regional dummies
- period dummies

b's are for autoregressive (1) random effects model. Similar coefficients are obtained for  pooled OLS with robust SE, fixed effects model, and random effects model.