Valuing environmental and social quality impacts on Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

Monetary metric is useful whenever it is necessary a cost/benefit assessment that implies a change of the degree of individuals and families well-being. The work is devoted to investigate and assess the impact of Environmental and Social Quality (ESQu) on Subjective Well-Being (SWB) at regional scale, keeping under control the individual heterogeneity. After a brief introduction, the application of the Life Satisfaction Approach (LSA) on a large data-base of Italian official statistical source, allows establishing the operative practicality of this method through monetization of the impact of some externalities. In this direction and by way of an example, some regional differentials, in terms of environmental and social benefits-costs, are highlighted and their impact on GDP is estimated.