Higher Average Incomes and Improvement in Average Citizen's Well-being - Essay Example

HIGHER AVERAGE INCOMES AND IMPROVEMENT IN AVERAGE CITIZENS WELLBEING By Location Higher average incomes and improvement in average citizens wellbeing It is indisputable that by increasing the average income of average citizens their purchasing power increases too. However, the main question in this case is whether this will lead to an obvious improvement in their well-being. With more income, average citizens can definitely improve their living standards. Some economists argue that increasing the average income will not automatically lead to the improvement of average citizens’ well-being. This paper seeks to prove that higher average incomes do not necessarily mean an improvement in average citizens wellbeing. Education is an important contributor to the well-being of citizens. There are a number of skills that are found through education that can be very vital to the wellbeing of people. Skills such as budgeting, saving, planning, investing, and forecasting are some of the skills that a person can get through education. Without such skills it will be basically hard for a person to improve their well-being even with increased average income. In countries where education standards are high people always live in comfort as opposed to countries where education standards are low (Bruns, Evans & Luque 2012, p. 109). A person with adequate education is likely to do allot with less income as compared to a person who is not educated. This just shows that even with higher income, a person with inadequate education is likely not to make this reflect in their well-being. Health is also another important factor in human wellbeing. Countries that have invested highly in the health sector have their citizens living better lives than those that have minimally invested in the health sector. With a well-organized healthcare sector citizens are likely to spend less paying for health care services. A country that has invested in vaccines and prevention of illnesses campaigns has citizens who have better living standards (Rossi & Perrewe 2014, p. 113). This is because they are able to work more productively and for longer thus increasing their earnings. However, with a poorly managed health sector citizens are likely to spend allot of financial resources trying to fight illnesses and to maintain their health. This will only mean that even with more income their lives will still be miserable. Life expectancy is also higher in countries with well managed healthcare sectors. A country’s health can also be influenced by its environment. An environment that is free from pollution can be a source of satisfaction to the people living in it. A pollution free environment can impact a person’s mental well-being, thus allowing people to quickly recover from stress that result from daily life activities. Air pollution and other forms of pollution have a direct impact on human lives. If appropriate measures are taken towards curbing pollution, then the environment might be more human friendly (Vickerstaff, Phillipson & Wilkie 2013, p. 122). There are supposed to be policies in place that, make sure that companies that release pollutants into the environment avoid it. They should always find safer ways of disposing such waste products. With an environment that is prone to pollution, average citizens will not be able to have satisfactory lifestyles even if they get higher incomes. The public sphere also affects how many people are comfortable with their lives. This is mainly seen through civic participation and a sense of community. Human beings always feel safer when they are aware that there are people they can count on during their times of need. Without such cohesion even higher average income would not mean much. This is because most of the time people will always prefer spending and investing by themselves. Collective investment and spending is likely to yield more as opposed to individual spending (Bruton 2001, p. 123). Lack of communal cohesion is also likely to increase the levels of insecurity in a community. With high rates of insecurity average citizens will be forced to pay highly for security measures. This implies that it would be more appropriate to strive to improve communal cohesion instead of simply increasing the minimum wages for average citizens. Another important factor to consider is the cost of living. Sometimes the cost of living in some countries is so high that even an increase in the minimum wage of average citizens does not always reflect in their living standards. The most affected countries are the developing ones. Even with more money coming into their pockets, average citizens will still live life in frustration if in any case the cost of living is high (Robertson & Cooper 2011, p. 153). In such a case it will mean that an increase in average income will not benefit average citizens unless it balances in a way that it will match the market prices. Otherwise any attempt to increase their income might not be of much benefit to their lifestyles. Personal security is an important aspect of individual well-being. When people live in safe environments they are always free from insecurity related worries. With security, people will not have to worry about being victim of various forms of crimes. This means that even with less income they will be living their lives in comfort. More financial income might be able to buy many things, but it can never buy the feeling of safety (Polachek & Tatsiramos 2013, p. 87). A typical human being would never comfortably live in a place where they feel insecure even when they are having higher incomes. This means that their general well-being would not have been perfected by the higher incomes Effectively balancing between work and life is a challenge to all workers. This challenge is always intensified in cases where individuals are workers and at the same time parents. It is always an issue when it comes to deciding what time is adequate allocated to both. Failure to balance work and life properly usually affects the welfare of workers negatively. When increased income will only come after more time is spent at work, workers usually have no option but to sacrifice their social life (Parcel & Menaghan 1994, p. 177). The disadvantage of such a scenario is that there will be no satisfaction even with the higher income. Workers will be earning more but will have very little time to enjoy the fruit of their labour. This might result in a situation where a person has a high income, but does not really approve of the kind of lifestyle they are leading. Another thing that might influence the well-being of average citizens is government policies. The government can influence the living standards of their citizens by putting in place policies that will ensure that their well-being is well taken care of. This can be possible through thing like price control. By controlling prices the government will be able to make sure that unscrupulous business people do not take advantage of the public (Atkinson 2002, p. 77). The government could also come up with policies that would ensure that the basic rights of all citizens are respected. Without such policies, it will be hard for people to live comfortable lives, even when they are having a higher income. Without effective policing the average citizens are most likely to live under oppression. For workers to lead a comfortable life there need to be political stability. Without political stability there is likely to be unrest in a community. For instance, worker from places which are war prone are likely not to like their lifestyles even if the income they are getting is high. This is because political instability always brings with it other problems such as insecurity. Political instability can also make it hard for workers to feel comfortable. This is especially true for workers with families. They will always feel uneasy even when they are earning more. In such a situation, it will be true to say that the high income that they are getting is not helping in giving them the assurance that their loved ones are safe wherever they are. Regardless of the amount of income, people will always feel unsettled in places that are known to be politically unstable. Climatic conditions can affect a person’s wellbeing. People working in arid and semi-arid places are likely to be less comfortable. The same applied to cold areas such as the North Pole and the South Pole. As much as better income can enable them to buy air conditioners, the environment that they live in is not as good as the environment that other people work in. It has been biologically proved that the functionality of human organs is always affected by the climate (Frey & Stutzer 2001, p. 116). The sad part is that there is very little that can be done about the climate. However, in areas where there are signs of possible desertification immediate actions can be taken in the bid to prevent that process. With such an environment adjustment most workers can find themselves being uncomfortable with their environment and their lifestyle. Natural calamities can also make human life uncomfortable. Places that are calamity prone are very uncomfortable. If a place has a high tendency of having incidences such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and other calamities, the people living and working there are likely to be very uncomfortable. This is because they should always be physically and psychologically prepared for anything. As much as they might be earning more, the possible occurrence of such calamities is likely to make them very uncomfortable. Some people will even prefer earning less in places where such calamities are unlikely. There are various things that can be done to improve preparedness for such calamities. For instance, floods can be avoided by constructing dams. This will mean that surplus water will have somewhere to flow into. In the absence of these measures the lives of people are likely to become more uncomfortable. One of the factors that contribute to job satisfaction is working condition. Apparently it affects employee well-being too. An employee who has poor working conditions is likely to stick to the job due to the monetary value or lack of options. This will not mean that they are comfortable with the kind of life that they are living. Some employers pay more, but at the end subject their employee to poor working condition. Examples of these conditions include long working hours, unhealthy working environments, poor or no working facilities, insecure work places, and lack of insurance for any possible accidents and losses while at work (Graham 2012, p. 131). Even when a person is earning allot in such working environments there will never be satisfaction in the work. This will mean that their welfare will still be unsettled even with the higher incomes. When a person has job security, they always tend to be more satisfied with their jobs and life. However, when job security is not there, they will be rather insecure. Job security always gives employees the assurance that they will have a source of livelihood for a very long time. Employees with job security normally get themselves having less stress relating to whether or not they will be having their jobs the following day. In the absence of job security, people always tend to feel uneasy. This leads to discomfort in life which might reflect in their well-being. Even in situations where the income is high employees are not likely to be comfortable if their jobs lack security. The importance of financial income to individuals cannot be downplayed. This is basically because of its motivational purpose and its purchasing power. However, it will be wrong to assume that it is all it takes to make human beings comfortable and happy. As shown through this paper there are many factors that lead to human comfort and happiness that can never be purchased. This is very true and has been illustrated throughout this paper. When factors that have been mentioned in this paper are taken care of then average citizens will definitely experience an improvement in their wellbeing. However, it is very hard to make sure that all these issues are taken care of. This means that the best that can be done, it taking care of the one that can be taken care of and letting go of those that are beyond human control. Bibliography Alcamo, J., et al 2003, Ecosystems and human well-being. Island Press, Washington, DC. Atkinson, A. B 2002, Social indicators the EU and social inclusion. Oxford University Press, Oxford. Bruns, B., Evans, D., & Luque, J. A 2012, Achieving world-class education in Brazil the next agenda, World Bank, Washington, DC. Bruton, H. J 2001, On the search for well-being, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor. Carpenter, S. R 2005, Ecosystems and human well-being Vol. 2 Vol. 2, Island Press, Washington, DC [u.a.]. Cooper, C. L 2010, Mental capital and wellbeing, Blackwell, Chichester, West Sussex. 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