People derive satisfaction not only from tangible outcomes but also from the way such outcomes are realized. Using the data collected in the aftermath of Nepal’s 7.8 Mw earthquake, we put this notion to a test. We find that households’ subjective happiness (in 1 to 10 ordered scale) depends not on the extent of physical reconstruction of damaged houses per se, but rather freedom of choice in the reconstruction process. However, too much freedom beyond certain thresholds may decrease happiness. We also find that happiness inequality is worse in overall less happy ethnic groups and that between-ethnic-group inequality is higher than within-ethnic-group inequality; however, the reverse is true in the case of gender. These findings may underscore the importance of freedom and ethnic or gender-specific policies in promoting well-being in post-disaster recovery.
R-codes used for data analysis is available at https://raunakms.github.io/happiness_reconstruction and can be downloaded from https://github.com/raunakms/happiness_reconstruction
Shrestha, RK, Shrestha, R, Shneiderman S, and Baniya J. Beyond Reconstruction: What Leads to Satisfaction in Post-Disaster Recovery?. 2021. (submitted)