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Effects of Government Characteristics on the Quality of Life

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Abstract

This article examines how the characteristics of a government, which are defined in terms of the quality, size, and function of the government, influence the quality of life of its citizens by applying fuzzy-set analysis on data from OECD countries. The results show that the quality of life is enhanced when the quality of the government, or its policy effectiveness, is maintained at a certain level, while an increase in government size, spending, and intervention has a negative impact. Compared to when the government is actively involved in producing public goods, when the government's quality and size are at a certain optimal level, it is observed that the quality of life is enhanced when the economy is stabilized by a market mechanism and security is guaranteed both internally and externally. Therefore, this result indicates that without economic and social stability, the expansion of social policy is unlikely to have a positive impact on improving the quality of life as intended.

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Notes

  1. In general, a score of consistency less than 0.75 is considered to indicate substantial inconsistency.

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  1. National Assembly Futures Institute, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Chae-jeong Lee

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In accordance with my ethical obligation as a researcher, I am reporting that I have no financial and/or business interests in the enclosed paper. I have disclosed those interests fully to the Journal of Happiness Studies, and I have in place for managing any potential conflicts arising from the paper.

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Lee, Cj. Effects of Government Characteristics on the Quality of Life. Soc Indic Res 157, 563–579 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-021-02675-x

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