Determinants of Subjective Well-being: Do we Really Know What Makes People Happy? A Study on Rasht Metropolis, North of Iran
Sepideh Kaveh, Abbas Assari Arani, Sajjad Faraji Dizaji, Seyed Hasan Hoseini
Journal PapersJournal of Research and Health , Volume 11 , Issue 1, 2021 January 10, {Pages 20-Nov }
Abstract
ubjective Well-Being (SWB) is a broad category of phenomena that includes people’s emotional responses, domain satisfactions, and global judgments of life satisfaction [1, 2]. SWB refers to how people experience and evaluate their lives. In other words, SWB is a person’s cognitive and emotional evaluations of his life [3, 4]. SWB has long been the subject matter of works in the fields of psychology and sociology studies, then it expanded to studies on human geography, urban and regional studies, and economics. Easterlin (1974) grounded the issue of the relationship between economics indices and well-being on the empirical analysis of self-reported data on SWB or happiness [5]. The literature uses different labels for happiness: well-bei
The impact of carbon taxes and fossil fuels subsidies on the development of renewable energies in selected OECD countries
Mohammadreza Arefian, Sajjad Faraji Dizaji, Abbas Assari Arani
Journal PapersQuarterly Journal of Quantitative Economics , 2021 February 13, {Pages }
Abstract
Fossil fuels and the process of their exploitation and consumption have led to serious challenges and concerns in the field of energy and environmental issues. These challenges include; the security of supplying these fuels, the depletion of its resources and most importantly their impact on environmental pollutants and global warming. Therefore, providing practical solutions and adopting optimal policies in this field are necessary. The development of using renewable energies that are compatible with nature and the environment, producing less air pollution and are not terminate in the near future, can be the most important option to resolve this crisis. There are different tools to encourage replacing the fossil fuels with renewable energi
The Urban-Outskirt Difference in Subjective Well-being Level among Tehran and Rasht Dwellers as Iranian Metropolises. Are Tehran Dwellers more Satisfied?
Sepideh Kaveh, Abbas Assari Arani, Sajjad Faraji Dizaji, Seyed Hasan Hosseini
Journal PapersInternational Journal of Health Studies , Volume 6 , Issue 3, 2020 August 18, {Pages }
Abstract
Background: Along with general health and economic indices, policymakers are more dealing with the subjective well-being (SWB) of society as a criterion to evaluate their performance. Also, the increasing number of articles published in mainstream health economics journals approves that the importance of SWB is increasing. The aim of the study was to investigate the urban-outskirt difference in subjective well-being level among Tehran and Rasht dwellers as Iranian metropolises.Methods: The analysis of the study is based on a structured interview that has been carried out by a designed questionnaire with 451 people living in Tehran and Rasht selected by the stratified two-stage cluster sampling method in 2018. One of these study innovations
L ow tax incomes and the large size of the government in Iran lead into budget deficit, which increases the inflation rate. It also causes economic instability and fluctuations in inflation, leading to tax non-compliance and the transfer of people to the informal economy. Therefore, considering the variables of financial discipline and behavioral factors, this research examines the effect of these variables on the size of the shadow economy and tax evasion caused by it in Iran during the period of 1967-2015. For this purpose, first, we select eight models, and the final model is selected with Multiple Indicators and Multiple Causes (MIMIC) approach among them. Then, using the side information and calibration of the time series, the rel
The impact of external arms restrictions on democracy and conflict in developing countries
S Faraji Dizaji, Syed Murshed
Journal Papers , 2020 January 1, {Pages }
Abstract
This paper examines how negative shocks to arms imports due to external arms embargoes affect the military expenditure, quality of democracy and internal and external conflicts in a sample of 48 mainly developing countries for the period of 1990–2017. An important innovation is that we include both political and conflict factors in a Panel Vector Autoregressive (PVAR) model of arms sanctions. The results show that the responses of political system and different indices of democracy including electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian democracy to decreases in arms imports (as a percentage of GDP) are positive and statistically significant, and that of military expenditures (as a percentage of GDP) is negative and sig
Journal PapersIranian Journal of Public Health , Volume 49 , Issue 10, 2020 October 1, {Pages 1959-1969 }
Abstract
Background: The present study aimed to identify and prioritize strategies for medical tourism improvement in the Social Security Organization (SSO) of Iran.Methods: Using Delphi method in the first step, we identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats that Social Security Organization of Iran faces in medical tourism during 2017-2018. In the second step we interviewed 100 medical and tourism experts to identify proper strategies using SWOT method and finally prioritize strategies through the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) by using Expert Choice software.Results: The application of SWOT technique indicated that the dominant strategy for the Iranian SSO should be conservative. It should overcome its internal weaknesses and expl
The impact of external arms restrictions on democracy and conflict in developing countries
Sajjad Faraji Dizaji, Syed Murshed
Journal Papers , Issue 661, 2020 July 6, {Pages }
Abstract
This paper examines how negative shocks to arms imports due to external arms embargoes affect the military expenditure, quality of democracy and internal and external conflicts in a sample of 48 mainly developing countries for the period of 1990–2017. An important innovation is that we include both political and conflict factors in a Panel Vector Autoregressive (PVAR) model of arms sanctions. The results show that the responses of political system and different indices of democracy including electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian democracy to decreases in arms imports (as a percentage of GDP) are positive and statistically significant, and that of military expenditures (as a percentage of GDP) is negative and sig
What the political economy literature tells us about blockades and sanctions
Sajjad Faraji Dizaji, Piotr Lis, Syed Murshed, Mahjoob Zweiri
Journal Papers , Issue 663, 2020 September 30, {Pages }
Abstract
Economic sanctions are usually defined as restrictions on customary trade and financial relations imposed by one or more countries against a target country, group, or individual for political and security policy purposes. Most existing studies of the effects of sanctions and blockades, whether bilateral or multilateral, are conducted from the perspective of the initiating or ‘sender’ country, which is typically a great power, e.g., the United States. However, there is a lack of literature on the possible policies that target nations may develop to prevent compromising their security, especially economic security, as well as neutralize the negative impact of sanctions. Sanctions and blockades disrupt the flow of international trade in go
Journal PapersJournal of Research and Health , Volume 10 , Issue 4, 2020 June 10, {Pages 257-266 }
Abstract
The health care issue figures prominently among the millennium development goals set by the United Nations in September 2000 and signed by nearly 190 countries. Better health outcomes are crucial for improving economic welfare at micro and macro levels. A healthy population is bound to bring higher economic value added [1]. Improved quality of life in any country depends on the availability and accessibility to healthcare facilities at affordable costs [2]. Health expenditure is important for policymakers not only due to health outcome importance but also because of the gradual total health expenditure that has become a major concern [3]. In most countries, a rise in the growth rate of health expenditures and its share in the Gross Domestic
Democracy and Militarization in Developing Countries: A Panel Vector Autoregressive Analysis
Sajjad F Dizaji, Mohammad R Farzanegan
Journal Papers , Issue 202035, 2020 January , {Pages }
Abstract
This study examines the dynamic relationship between democracy and the military in more than 40 developing countries from 1990 to 2017. We investigate the dynamic interaction between democracy and military institutions using a panel vector autoregressive model and impulse response functions as well as variance decomposition analyses. We show that democracy plays a significant role in the substitution of nonmilitary expenditures for defense expenditures. We also investigate the response of democracy to positive shocks in military and nonmilitary spending. We find that the responses of political system and different indexes of democracy including electoral, liberal, participatory, deliberative, and egalitarian democracy to positive shocks in
Journal PapersQuarterly Journal of Quantitative Economics , 2020 June 26, {Pages }
Abstract
The current research investigates the impacts of natural resources rents and good governance on happiness index in natural resource-rich countries. The main objective of this paper is to examine the interacting impact of good governance and natural resources on a selected group of countries which has been neglected in previous studies. We examine the interacting impact of natural resources and good governance on happiness in a group of 66 countries which their natural resources rents to GDP ratio is higher than 5 percent. We apply panel data analysis using a generalized method of moments approach for the period 2005-2018. The estimated results show that natural resources rents have negative and significant impact on happiness while the impa
Introduction The central bank, as the highest monetary authority in the country, needs independence to achieve its goals. Central bank independence reflects the ability and willingness to pursue an independent monetary policy. The main goal of the central bank is to control sustainable inflation. If the goal of a country is to reduce inflation without harming economic growth, there is no choice but to establish an independent central bank, only an independent central bank that will be able to reduce the budget deficit and inflation tax. Given the role of the Central Bank, this article intends to examine the effect of rent and political development on the independence of the Central Bank. ? Theoretical frame work The central bank, as an infl
Journal PapersQuarterly Journal of Quantitative Economics , Volume 16 , Issue 4, 2020 February 20, {Pages 69-100 }
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to estimate the shadow economy and tax evasion in Iran using the governmental financial discipline variables during the period 1967-2015. Considering the large size of the government in Iran and the lack of revenues, the Iranian government has faced a budget deficit for most of the periods under study. The continued provision of the government's budget deficit through borrowing from the central bank (printing new money) can lead to inflation which, in turn, increases the size of the shadow economy and its resulting tax evasion. On the other hand, in recent years, the implementation of targeted subsidies has created an additional pressure on the government's budgetary conditions and has forced the governmen
The Economic Role of Diplomatic Representation in Promoting Exports
Sajjad Faraji Dizaji, Hamid Reza Poursalimi
Journal PapersIranian Journal of Trade Studies , Volume 24 , Issue 94, 2020 March 20, {Pages 205-229 }
Abstract
This study empirically investigates the effects of various variables emphasizing the role of economic diplomacy depicting by different forms of diplomatic representation offices, as well as bilateral and multilateral trading agreements, on the export flow. For this purpose, a modified form of the gravity model of trade is used by applying the cross-sectional data method for a group of 50 countries over the period 2012-2016. Additionally, this paper allows for a more detailed study of the trading structure of oil exporting countries by distinguishing between oil exports and other non-oil export commodities. The results indicate that membership in the WTO, along with multilateral trade agreements are important export determinants. Also, due t
The purpose of this study is to introduce and assess various measures of statistical value of life and introduce a way to measure health capital for 19 age cohorts throughout 1996-2015. To do so, we applied a dynamic planning approach and used the data on Iranian household budget survey. The main results show that until 2009, adding a new member to the population of newborns was more socially valued, but after 2009, investment on the health of the newborn had more value. This study concludes that increasing the monetary value of an age group does not necessarily mean that the investment on the health of that group is justifiable. Health capital is estimated to at least 1. 5 in 1996 and at most 8 million U. S $ in 2015. Despite the very stro