Effects of the political configuration of local governments on subjective well-being

Determining what makes a person happy is an extremely complicated task. The objective of this article is to identify the effects of the composition and orientation of governance bodies in municipalities on individual subjective well-being. We connect the data from a large Spanish welfare survey to municipal data covering the aforementioned dimensions of political configuration. Unlike previous country-level studies, we find no significant effects of political orientation when applied to municipal data. In contrast, political alternation emerges as a relevant driver of subjective well-being, especially when corrupt local governments are replaced. Furthermore, the fragmentation in the Spanish political landscape after the 2015 elections improved the level of political competition, which, in turn, exerted a positive effect on subjective well-being.

Automated summary

This article examines the effects of governance bodies' composition and orientation on individual subjective well-being in municipalities. The study finds no significant effects of political orientation at the municipal level, but political alternation, particularly in the case of replacing corrupt local governments, emerges as a relevant factor influencing subjective well-being. Furthermore, the fragmentation in the Spanish political landscape after the 2015 elections improved political competition and positively affected subjective well-being.