Rwanda abstract of the day

Rwanda, a post-conflict country in the Great Lakes Region of East Central Africa, has made a remarkable recovery from the devastating genocide it experienced in 1994 and has entered on a path of sustainable development. It remains, however, one of the poorest countries in the world and is heavily aid dependent. Most of the population are dependent on subsistence agriculture for survival and over 70% live on less than one US dollar a day. Levels of satisfaction with life in general are not surprisingly relatively low but levels of happiness are much higher. Health influences satisfaction and happiness with the former also influenced by economic circumstances, freedom of choice and control and confidence in civil society. Other factors influencing happiness are trust in family and confidence in government. Men are happier than women but there are no gender differences in satisfaction.

The title of the paper is "Happiness in a Post-conflict Society: Rwanda" by Abbott and Wallace (Happiness Across Cultures, 2012).