The economics of happiness [Elektronische Ressource] : an empirical analysis of the effects of (un-)employment on individual life satisfaction / Verf.: Steffen Rätzel

THE ECONOMICS OF HAPPINESS AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF (UN-)EMPLOYMENT ON INDIVIDUAL LIFE SATISFACTION Inauguraldissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doctor rerum politicarum durch die Fakultät für Wirtschaftswissenschaft der Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg Verfasser: Steffen Rätzel Geburtsdatum und -ort: 7. Mai 1979, Magdeburg Arbeit eingereicht am: 22. Dezember 2009 Gutachter der Dissertation: Prof. Dr. Joachim Weimann Prof. Dr. Ronnie Schöb ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to all those people who have been accompanied and supported my work during the last years. I am most grateful to Joachim Weimann who directed the Chair of Economic Policy at the Otto-von-Guericke-University, for giving me the opportunity and the freedom to pursue my research interests. I am thankful for his permanent support throughout my dissertation, his academic guidance and especially his open minded attitude regarding novel and promising research areas that enabled the present dissertation in the first place. It was a great pleasure to work and write the dissertation at the Chair of Economic Policy. I would also like to thank Prof. Dr. Ronnie Schöb for his constant encouragement and suggestions. His distinct interest in the research topic of happiness economics has been an important assistance for the implementation of the dissertation.