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Robust Ranking of Happiness Outcomes: A Median Regression Perspective

Le-Yu Chen, Ekaterina Oparina, Nattavudh Powdthavee, Sorawoot Srisuma

arXiv 20 Feb 2019 · Econometrics · publishedJournal of Economic Behavior & Organization (2022) · 27 citations (OpenAlex)

arXiv:1902.07696 · PDF · DOI · OpenAlex · Extracted main text

Abstract

Ordered probit and logit models have been frequently used to estimate the mean ranking of happiness outcomes (and other ordinal data) across groups. However, it has been recently highlighted that such ranking may not be identified in most happiness applications. We suggest researchers focus on median comparison instead of the mean. This is because the median rank can be identified even if the mean rank is not. Furthermore, median ranks in probit and logit models can be readily estimated using standard statistical softwares. The median ranking, as well as ranking for other quantiles, can also be estimated semiparametrically and we provide a new constrained mixed integer optimization procedure for implementation. We apply it to estimate a happiness equation using General Social Survey data of the US.

Citation extraction

75
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appendix boundary found by appendix_titled_section at “Appendix” · 93% of the source is main text. Read the extracted text to check this.

Most heavily cited references

The works this paper leans on most, across its whole bibliography — not restricted to papers in our corpus. Ranked by composite intensity, which combines how often a work is mentioned, how many sections mention it, and how much of that falls in the main text rather than the appendix.

ReferenceIntensityMentionsSectionsMain text
1Lee, M. J (1992) Median regression for ordered discrete response1.00064100%
2Florios, K. and Skouras, S (2008) Exact computation of max weighted score estimators0.92843100%
3Manski, C. F (1985) Semiparametric analysis of discrete response: Asymptotic properties of the maximum score estimator0.92843100%
4Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A (2005) Income and well-being: an empirical analysis of the comparison income effect0.84333100%
5Blanchflower, D. G. and Oswald, A. J (2004) Well-being over time in Britain and the USA0.73732100%
6Bond, T. N. and Lang, K (2019) The Sad Truth about Happiness Scales0.64422100%
7Di Tella, R., MacCulloch, R. J., and Oswald, A. J (2001) Preferences over Inflation and Unemployment: Evidence from Surveys of Happiness0.64422100%
8Ferrer-i-Carbonell, A. and Frijters, P (2004) How Important is Methodology for the estimates of the determinants of Happiness?0.64422100%
9Greene, W. H. and Hensher, D. A (2010) Modeling Ordered Choices: A Primer0.64422100%
10Horowitz, J. L (2009) Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods in Econometrics0.64422100%

Showing the top 10 of 75 scored citations.

Cited by, within the corpus

arXiv econ.EM papers that cite this one, ranked by how heavily they lean on it.

Citing paperIntensityMentionsSections
1Human Wellbeing and Machine Learning0.40511
2Comparing latent inequality with ordinal data0.40511