Social Mechanisms of Wellbeing in Comparative Perspectives

Subjective wellbeing is an indicator of not only personal histories in a society but also the institutional arrangement of that society. Which kinds of life conditions (e.g., income, work, relation to others, ...) and life events (e.g., job changes, family formation, caregiving to elder parents, ...) affect individual wellbeing depends on a specific institutional/historical/cultural context (e.g., economic affluence, roles of the state, work-life balance, ...) of a society in particular time. This session invites comparative studies on these social mechanisms of wellbeing between different societies or between different times in a society to shed light on the characteristics and historical position of each society or each period. Empirical works with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods research designs are highly welcome.