Author(s)

Felwine Sarr, Muhammad Ba

Gaston Berger University, Saint-Louis, Senegal.

This article uses the theoretical framework of the capabilities approach to offer a structural assessment model of well-being in the context of Senegal. To this end, we mobilize the Senegalese data (ESPS-II) and an evaluation space including basic and central capabilities of [1] and [2], which are: living conditions, education and health body, non-institutional support and good governance, on the one hand, and the three dimensions of well-being (economic well-being, life satisfaction and subjective well-being), on the other hand. With the modeling technique by structural equations: PLS-PM (Partial Linear Square-Path Modeling), we find that the estimation model of well-being has built good predictive quality. In addition, it shows that the basic capabilities (education, living conditions and health of the body) positively determine well-being (economic well-being, subjective well-being and life satisfaction). Also, economic well-being and life satisfaction positively predict and cause subjective well-being. Contrariwise, non-institutional support and good governance do not significantly cause subjective well-being. Between these two capabilities, only good governance has a significant and positive effect on life satisfaction.

Capabilities Approach, Well-Being, Structural Equations Models (SEM), Partial Linear Square-Path Modeling (PLS-PM)

Sarr, F. and Ba, M. (2017) The Capability Approach and Evaluation of the Well-Being in Senegal: An Operationalization with the Structural Equations Models. Modern Economy, 8, 90-110. doi: 10.4236/me.2017.81007.