Subjective and objective wellbeing in the context of spatial environmental characteristics and climatic risk: A comparative case study on the Volta Delta, Ghana

Abstract

This thesis aims to improve the understanding of the relationships between environmental conditions, such as climatic risks and landscape characteristics, and objective wellbeing (OWB), subjective wellbeing (SWB), and the association between the two concepts in Volta Delta, Ghana. Despite growing interest in the measurement and conceptualisation of wellbeing, the integration within sustainability research, and the understanding of how different wellbeing outcomes relate, remains limited. Many studies focus on singular, often objectively measured outcomes, without acknowledging the breadth of available measures. This approach can result in crucial subjective information, which can be explored to understand actors’ behaviours and responses, being omitted from research and policy. Furthermore, empirical evidence supporting the interconnection between environment and wellbeing remains limited; in particular, there is an underutilisation of SWB in research based in lower-middle-income countries.
This thesis uses various quantitative and qualitative methods, including regression modelling, exploratory survey analysis, semi-structured focus groups and interviews, and participatory weighting exercises. Alongside collecting primary qualitative data, this project incorporates secondary sources such as remote sensing data and household survey data from the Deltas, Vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration & Adaptation (DECCMA) project.
The mixed method approach yields several key contributions and findings across the four result chapters. Firstly, wellbeing measurements are sensitive to methodological and conceptual decisions. OWB and SWB measures are related, yet not interchangeable, emphasising the importance of methodological transparency within wellbeing research. Secondly, climate hazards often negatively associate with wellbeing; however, landscape characteristics and the relational context can alter these relationships. Thirdly, different community subgroups and district planning officers display different wellbeing priorities. By collecting weightings for different basic need indicators, this analysis highlighted the sensitivity of wellbeing measurement to weighting selection, and also emphasised the importance of where and from whom weightings are collected. Fourthly, when exploring opposing OWB/SWB outcomes, a broad distinction is found between “poor but happy” inland agricultural areas impacted by drought and erosion, and “non-poor but unhappy” coastal/riverine, peri-urban landscapes exposed to flooding and salinisation. These results highlight how environmental conditions can potentially influence OWB and SWB through different mechanisms.
This thesis also contributes to the literature by producing a new conceptual framework to support future research on environmental relationships with OWB and SWB. Overall, this study provides evidence to justify including objective and subjective measures when implementing and monitoring sustainable development policy to comprehensibly capture, and improve, wellbeing in environmentally vulnerable locations.

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Identifiers

ORCID for Laurence Cannings: orcid.org/0000-0002-1149-5833

ORCID for Craig Hutton: orcid.org/0000-0002-5896-756X

ORCID for Kristine Nilsen: orcid.org/0000-0003-2009-4019

ORCID for Alessandro Sorichetta: orcid.org/0000-0002-3576-5826

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