To Örebro University

Advancing the economic understanding of suicide’s externalities, this study uses the well-being valuation method (WVM) to quantify the exposure to suicide, specifically through knowing someone near, family, or friend (NFF) who attempted or died by suicide. First, using data from a survey of Swedish adults, we separately estimate several life satisfaction equations. For each equation, we use the same comparison group of individuals who reported never having been exposed to others’ suicide, and compare them against different groups, each exposed to NFF-related suicide attempts or deaths. We find that income has a statistically significant positive impact on life satisfaction across all equations, and except for the experience of death alone, all other exposures to suicide have a statistically significant negative impact on life satisfaction. Next, we use these estimates to calculate the monetary compensation required to offset the decline in life satisfaction for individuals exposed to a NFF’s suicide attempt or death. The required annual monetary compensation to offset this decline ranges from 6,400 to 9,910 euros, which suggests an economic value for mitigating the negative effects of suicide exposure equivalent to around a median monthly household income. However, our findings should be considered with caution when used to inform healthcare policies and prevention strategies aimed at reducing the spillover effects of exposure to suicide. 

In the pursuit of more sustainable and healthier diets, it is important to understand how the presentation and description of vegetarian meals can affect consumers' preferences and perceptions. This study investigated the influence of two tablewares (bowl and plate) and two labels ("vegan" and "plant-based") on liking, willingness to pay, and perceptions of healthiness and sustainability of a vegetarian meal in a restaurant located in the headquarters of a retail company in Stockholm, Sweden. It was found that participants perceived the meal as healthier when it was served in a bowl or labeled "vegan" than when it was served on a plate or labeled "plantbased", and no other significant association between tableware or label and other measured variables was found. These results can help researchers, restaurants, cafeterias, pastry shops, and industries understand and communicate better with consumers about healthier and more sustainable vegetarian meals. Further studies should include other food products and participants from other cultural backgrounds, as well as measure choice and intake.

When economic crises destabilize labor markets, they offer unique opportunities to explore welfare dynamics and the interplay between partnership formation and social assistance. Using data from Sweden’s 1990s economic crisis, characterized by high unemployment, expanding budget deficit, and a large inflow of war refugees from the former Yugoslavia, we examine state dependence in social assistance, which refers to the increased likelihood that households will receive benefits in the future if they have previously received them. Because Swedish social assistance eligibility depends on household-level resources and that partnership formation may correlate with unobserved factors, we focus on individuals who were single in 1990, prior to the recession, tracking their social assistance receipt and household composition over the subsequent decade. This approach allows us to compare individuals who remain single throughout the decade with those who form partnerships, assessing how gender, country of birth, and partnership choices affect state dependence in social assistance. Using a dynamic discrete choice model that addresses both unobserved heterogeneity and initial conditions, we found differences in structural state dependence both between and within the samples of Swedish-born (SB) and foreign-born (FB) individuals. Among singles, SB women exhibit lower structural state dependence than SB men, whereas FB women display slightly higher structural state dependence than FB men but lower than SB men. For FB individuals, the structural state dependence decreases when they partner with a SB individual but increases when they partner with another FB individual, suggesting that partnering with an SB individual may reduce the structural impact of prior welfare dependency, while partnering with an FB individual may reinforce it.

This study investigates whether couple ethnic composition shapes household welfare dependence, a relevant dimension overlooked in previous studies. Using fifteen years of Swedish panel data and a dynamic discrete-choice model that addresses initial-conditions and unobserved heterogeneity, we analyze structural state dependence in social assistance across households of intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic couples. Consistent with previous studies, we find that thatwelfare participation is much higher for foreign-born individuals in both intra- and inter-ethnic couples than for couples of natives. However, the lowest structural state dependence in social assistance was found for households of inter-ethnic couples, while individuals from couples of natives show the strongest state dependence, nearly five times higher than for households of couples comprising foreign-born women with Swedish-born men and stable couples of foreign-born men and Swedish-born women. Our findings offer important policy implications for addressing social assistance needs across diverse household configurations in increasingly multicultural and fiscally constrained societies. Policy and political discourse focused primarily on reducing immigrants’ welfare dependency may be misguided, as house-holds of native-born individuals exhibit stronger structural state dependence despite lower overall participation rates. Policymakers should broaden their focus to include households of couples of natives in efforts to reduce welfare persistence.

Findings in the traffic safety literature suggest that people value traffic risk reductions less when framed as a public good (e.g. infrastructure improvements) compared to when framed as a private good (e.g. personal safety equipment). This study contributes to this literature by reporting empirical evidence for the importance of controlling for the attributes of the goods used in such valuations. We focus on risks faced by vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians and compare valuations across private and public goods that vary in their attributes. When the goods are of an identical nature, we find no significant difference in valuations, resolving the controversy in previous findings. We find significant effects on valuations from using private or public provision, from offering the good as voluntary or mandated in use, and from changing the framing of the good between the private and the public versions. This adds further weight to the importance of controlling for many attributes.

Background: Despite progress in traffic safety, traffic-related fatalities are projected to become the fifth most common cause of death worldwide by 2030, emphasizing the need for robust infrastructure, safer vehicles, and simplified traffic regulations that address individuals’ behavior and well-being. While earlier studies have explored the impacts of accident experiences on well-being and safety preferences, the link between life satisfaction and willingness to pay (WTP) for traffic safety remains underexplored.

Aim of the Study: This study examines how WTP for traffic safety varies across intervention types, their framing as public or private goods, and the influence of life satisfaction. It also evaluates whether accident experiences affect life satisfaction or directly influence WTP, and investigates how trust and familiarity with safety measures shape WTP.

Data and Methods: Using a representative Swedish sample, we analyzed relationships between life satisfaction, accident experiences, and WTP for safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists. Interval regression was applied to account for censored WTP responses. Respondents evaluated familiar interventions (e.g., anti-slip treatments, better lighting) and less familiar, high-tech solutions (e.g., sensors, mobile apps).

Results: Traffic accident experience showed no significant effect on life satisfaction, consistent with hedonic adaptation. However, life satisfaction significantly increased WTP. Familiar interventions yielded higher WTP across public and private measures. For unfamiliar, technology-based solutions, WTP was higher for public interventions, likely reflecting trust in public authorities.

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of life satisfaction and familiarity in shaping WTP for traffic safety. Unfamiliar interventions based on new technologies should be carefully introduced to foster public trust and acceptance.

Work Integrated Social Enterprises (WISEs) have emerged as a powerful and dynamic force in redefining the established norms while enhancing sustainability, promoting integration and nurturing more inclusive working societies by addressing employment barriers for marginalized groups. Using data from semi-structured interviews with WISEs in a mid-sized Swedish municipality, this article’s findings reveal the challenge they face, such as financial sustainability, the need for formal organizational structures, and societal prejudices. The findings highlight WISEs’ strategies for balancing economic stability with their social mission and emphasize the pivotal role of municipal and regional governance in supporting their operations. Targeted policy support in areas like management, human resources, and financial backing is essential to ensure WISEs’ survival and long-term success.