A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XXII: Subjective well-being

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold. In this episode, hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Yelena Kilina meet with Dina Sharipova (Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan) and Alma Kudebayeva (Associate Professor at KIMEP University, Kazakhstan) to discuss ‘Changing Well-Being in Central Asia: Evidence from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan’. Comparing Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but also Uzbekistan, the conversation explores subjective well-being or how people evaluate their lives across economic, social, political and cognitive dimensions. One key aspect is the perception of the level of freedom, which often differs from the actual state of freedom. The idea of 'a good life' that was a hot topic some years ago in EU-Central Asia relations is also considered in the chat as well as the policy implications of the concept of subjective well-being.