Isolation and Subjective Welfare: Evidence from South Asia
利用尼泊尔的地理和家庭调查数据，研究隔离（如远离市场）如何降低人们对收入和消费充足性的主观评价，且这种影响在离市场较近的家庭中更大，说明货币指标可能低估隔离的福利成本。
Using detailed geographical and household survey data from Nepal, this article investigates the relationship between isolation and subjective welfare. We examine how distance to markets and proximity to large urban centers are associated with responses to questions about income and consumption adequacy. Results show that isolation is associated with a significant reduction in subjective assessments of income and consumption adequacy, even after controlling for consumption expenditures and other factors. The reduction in subjective welfare associated with isolation is much larger for households that are already relatively close to markets. These findings suggest that welfare assessments based on monetary income and consumption may seriously underestimate the subjective welfare cost of isolation.