Decentralisation and Citizen Happiness: A Multilevel Analysis of Self-rated Happiness in Indonesia

The effect of decentralisation reform on citizen happiness in the context of a developing country remains under-investigated. We study this effect by examining the experience of Indonesia. Data comes from the Indonesian Family Life Survey 2007 which comprises face-to-face interviews with the adult p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of happiness studies 2015-04, Vol.16 (2), p.455-475
Main Authors: Sujarwoto, Sujarwoto, Tampubolon, Gindo
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Citizen participation
Decentralization
Developing countries
Economics
Happiness
LDCs
Local government
Personality and Social Psychology
Philosophy
Political behavior
Politics
Positive Psychology
Public sector
Public services
Quality of Life Research
Research Paper
Social Sciences
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Summary:The effect of decentralisation reform on citizen happiness in the context of a developing country remains under-investigated. We study this effect by examining the experience of Indonesia. Data comes from the Indonesian Family Life Survey 2007 which comprises face-to-face interviews with the adult population in Indonesia ( N individuals  = 29,024, N districts  = 262). Multilevel analysis is used to examine the effect of fiscal and political decentralisation on citizen happiness, and shows that fiscal decentralisation is significantly associated with citizen happiness, while political decentralisation is not; these are robust to the inclusion of individual and district variables related to happiness. The findings suggest that decentralisation increases the happiness of citizens through the improved capacity of districts to deliver public services, rather than through the improved opportunities of citizens to engage in direct political participation.
ISSN:1389-4978
1573-7780
DOI:10.1007/s10902-014-9518-3