Federalism and Democracy: Happiness

Happiness and political satisfaction are cardinal objectives of both, democracy and federalism. Their theoretical traditions provide strong arguments why these types of state order and government are able to accomplish the desired outcome. Hereby, federalism and democracy even foot on the very same reasoning: since being close to citizens, they should reach a maximum of political satisfied and happy citizens. Hence, the question arises if the happiness performance between federal and unitarist democracies differ? As it comes to empirical verifications our knowledge remains limited. Past examinations focused on case studies or cross-section analyses delivering valuable insights, but were not able going beyond punctual observations. Based on data of the WVS this study investigates whether federal democracies generate higher levels of citizens' happiness than unitary democracies. By adding the longitudinal dimension the study applies panel analysis and aims to present preliminary findings.