TESTING FOR SPATIAL EQUILIBRIUM USING HAPPINESS DATA
利用美国九大普查区的幸福感与人口增长数据，检验空间均衡假设，发现衰退期和长期存在空间失衡，但更幸福的地区人口增长更快，表明趋向均衡。
ABSTRACT Happiness data are rarely used in regional and urban analysis, but it is a prime data set for testing the assumption of spatial equilibrium, the key assumption in the field of urban economics. In this paper, we explore the relationship between regional happiness and one‐year lagged change in population growth rates for the nine census regions in the United States using data on reported well‐being from National Opinion Research Center's annual General Social Survey. We observe that, while there is evidence of spatial disequilibrium during recessions and in the long run, happier regions generally experience higher population growth rates indicating a movement (or tendency) toward spatial equilibrium.