Abstract:
In this thesis the potential of using subjective well-being (SWB) in the process of measuring
development is explored. SWB is rising in popularity and is often named as an interesting
alternative for mainstream measurements of economic development like Gross Domestic
Product (GDP). I explore this option by delving into the concepts of development and SWB to
see how they match up. More specifically, I examine whether SWB as a measure of
development has potential, especially in developing countries. This will be done through
literature research and by conducting interviews with development professionals, who are
working with development indicators in the developing world. The interviewees are working
at a variety of development organizations and are from different parts of the world. Both from
the literature and the interviews, I find that although it is an interesting and potentially useful
idea to use SWB as a measure for development, several complications should be reckoned
with. A more moderate version of SWB in combination with other indicators is likely to be
the most promising for the future.
