THE HAPPINESS REPORT ON SLOVAKIA FROM YEAR 2012-2018. ARE THEY MAKING PROGRESS OR NOT? LESSONS FOR NIGERIA AND WHAT SHOULD NIGERIA DO TO MAKE PROGRESS

1. THE HAPPINESS REPORT ON SLOVAKIA FROM YEAR 2012-2018.
ARE THEY MAKING PROGRESS OR NOT? LESSONS FOR NIGERIA AND WHAT
SHOULD NIGERIA DO TO MAKE PROGRESS
BY
EROH JIDE AYANSANWO
MATRIC NO: 170888
INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND DEVELOPMENT,
CENTRE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT,
UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN
COURSE LECTURER: DR. WALE OLAYIDE
COURSE TITLE: SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE
COURSE CODE: SDP 706
AUGUST, 2018.

2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
CRITIQUE
CONCLUSION
Chart on Slovakia Happiness Index
Lessons for Nigeria
What should Nigeria do to make progress?
REFERENCES

3. INTRODUCTION
This accounting makes use of measures of subjective well-being, since they capture best how
people rate the quality of their lives. “Subjective well-being” is the general expression used to
cover a range of individual self-reports of moods and life assessments.
The word “happiness” is often used in an equally general way, as in the title of this report. It
does help to focus thinking, and attracts attention more quickly than does “subjective well-
being.” Among various measures of subjective well-being, the primary distinction to be made is
between cognitive life evaluations (represented by questions asking how happy or satisfied
people are with their lives as a whole), and emotional reports. Early modern attempts to classify
different types of subjective well-being in psychology have also made a distinction between two
types of emotional reports: positive affect (a range of positive emotions) and negative affect (a
range of negative emotions). The primary distinction between life evaluations and emotional
reports continues to be accepted today. It is also accepted, although less generally, that positive
and negative affect carry different information, and need to be separately measured and
analyzed.
The World Happiness Report is an annual publication of the United Nations Sustainable
Development Solutions Network which contains rankings of national happiness and analysis of
the data from various perspectives. In the reports, experts in fields including economics,
psychology, survey analysis, national statistics, describe how measurements of well-being can be
used effectively to assess the progress of nations, and other topics. Each report is organized by
chapters that delve deeper into issues relating to happiness, including mental illness, the
objective benefits of happiness, the importance of ethics, policy implications, and links with the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) approach to measuring
subjective well-being and other international and national efforts.
In March 2018, Finland was ranked the happiest Country in the World while Slovakia was
ranked 39th happiest Country in the world. The happiest countries had high values for all six key
variables that have been found to support well-being: income, healthy life expectancy, social
support, freedom, trust and generosity. Finland is at the top of both rankings in this report,
because Immigrants and Population in general were the happiest in the world.

4. Slovakia as our main focus in this research shows that, it has a Population of 5.4million, Visitors
per year is 8.8million and Renewable energy is 7.6%. The Slovak Republic performs well in
some measures of well-being in the Better Life Index. The Slovak Republic ranks above the
average in social connections, civic engagement and work-life balance, but below average in
health status, income and wealth, education and skills, environmental quality, subjective well-
being, housing, personal security, jobs and earnings. These rankings are based on available
selected data.
OVERVIEW
Money, while it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living
standards. In the Slovak Republic, the average household net-adjusted disposable income per
capita is USD 20,265 a year, lower than the OECD average of USD 30,563 a year. There is a
considerable gap between the richest and poorest the top 20% of the population earn almost four
times as much as the bottom 20%.
In terms of employment, around 65% of people aged 15 to 64 in the Slovak Republic have a paid
job, below the OECD employment average of 67%. Some 71% of men are in paid work,
compared with 58% of women. In the Slovak Republic, some 5% of employees work very long
hours, less than the OECD average of 13%, with 7% of men working very long hours compared
with just 2% of women.
Good education and skills are important requisites for finding a job. In the Slovak Republic, 92%
of adults aged 25-64 have completed upper secondary education, much higher than the OECD
average of 74% and among the highest rates in the OECD. This is truer of men than women, as
93% of men have successfully completed high-school compared with 91% of women. In terms
of the quality of the educational system, the average student scored 463 in reading literacy,
maths and science in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA),
lower than the OECD average of 486. On average in the Slovak Republic, girls out performed
boys by 10 points, higher than the OECD average of 2 points.
In terms of health, life expectancy at birth in the Slovak Republic is 77 years, three years lower
than the OECD average of 80 years. Life expectancy for women is 80 years, compared with 73
for men. The level of atmospheric PM2.5 tiny air pollutant particles small enough to enter and

5. cause damage to the lungs is 20.6 micrograms per cubic meter, higher than the OECD average of
13.9 micrograms per cubic meter. The Slovak Republic is line with the OECD average in terms
of water quality, as 82% of people say they are satisfied with the quality of their water, broadly
in line with the OECD average of 81%.
Concerning the public sphere, there is a strong sense of community and moderate level of civic
participation in the Slovak Republic, where 91% of people believe that they know someone they
could rely on in time of need, slightly higher than the OECD average of 89%. Voter turnout, a
measure of citizens' participation in the political process, was 60% during recent elections, lower
than the OECD average of 69%. Voter turnout for the top 20% of the population is an estimated
65% and for the bottom 20% it is an estimated 61%, much narrower than the OECD average gap
of 13 percentage points, and suggests there is broad social inclusion in the Slovak Republic’s
democratic institutions.
In general, Slovaks are less satisfied with their lives than the OECD average. When asked to rate
their general satisfaction with life on a scale from 0 to 10, Slovaks gave it a 6.1 grade on
average, lower than the OECD average of 6.5.
CRITIQUE
In this report, I will be criticizing emphatically on the housing cost, job opportunity and
employment rate, education, health, government and life expectancy amongst many others to
examine in Slovakia.
Housing costs take up a large share of the household budget and represent the largest single
expenditure for many individuals and families, by the time you add up elements such as rent,
gas, electricity, water, furniture or repairs. In the Slovak Republic, households on average spend
24% of their gross adjusted disposable income on keeping a roof over their heads, above the
OECD average of 20%. In the Slovak Republic, average home contains 1.1 rooms per person,
less than the OECD average of 1.8 rooms per person and one of the lowest rates in the OECD. In
terms of basic facilities, 98.6% of people in the Slovak Republic live in dwellings with private
access to an indoor flushing toilet, more than the OECD average of 97.9%.

6. Having a job brings many important benefits, including: providing a source of income,
improving social inclusion, fulfilling one's own aspirations, building self-esteem and developing
skills and competencies. In the Slovak Republic, around 65% of the working-age population
aged 15 to 64 has a paid job. This figure is lower than the OECD employment average of 67%.
Unemployed persons are defined as those who are not currently working but are willing to do so
and actively searching for work. Long-term unemployment can have a large negative effect on
feelings of well-being and self-worth and result in a loss of skills, further reducing employability.
In the Slovak Republic, the percentage of the labour force that has been unemployed for a year or
longer is currently at nearly 5.5%, higher than the OECD average of 2%. The wages and other
monetary benefits that come with employment are an important aspect of job quality. Slovak
people earn USD 23,508 per year on average, much less than the OECD average of USD 44,290.
Another essential factor of employment quality is job security, in terms of expected loss of
earnings when someone becomes unemployed. This includes how likely you are to lose your job,
how long you are likely to remain unemployed and how much financial assistance you can
expect from government. Workers facing a high risk of job loss are more vulnerable, especially
in countries with smaller social safety nets. In the Slovak Republic, workers face an expected
6.7% loss of earnings if they become unemployed, higher than the OECD average of 4.9%.
The Slovak Republic is among the EU countries with the highest levels of unemployment,
despite the current recovery in GDP, with young people and women particularly hard-hit. In the
Slovak Republic, 91% of people believe that they know someone they could rely on in a time of
need, broadly in line with the OECD average of 89%.
The Slovak Republic, 92% of adults aged 25 to 64 have completed upper secondary education,
much higher than the OECD average of 74% and one of the highest rates in the OECD. The
average student in the Slovak Republic scored 463 in reading literacy, maths and sciences, below
the OECD average of 486. The best-performing school systems manage to provide high-quality
education to all students.
Tiny particulate matter [PM2.5] small enough to be inhaled into the deepest part of the lung is
monitored in OECD countries because it can harm human health and reduce life expectancy. In
the Slovak Republic, PM2.5 levels are 20.6 micrograms per cubic meter, much higher than the

7. OECD average of 13.9 micrograms per cubic meter and higher than the annual guideline limit of
10 micrograms per cubic meter set by the World Health Organization. In Slovak Republic, 82%
of people say they are satisfied with water quality, broadly in line with the OECD average of
81%.
Trust in government is essential for social cohesion and well-being. High voter turnout is a
measure of citizens' participation in the political process. In the most recent elections for which
data are available, voter turnout in the Slovak Republic was 60% of those registered. This figure
is lower than the OECD average of 69%. The level of stakeholder engagement in developing
regulations is 2.9 (on a scale between 0 and 4); higher than the OECD average of 2.4.
Life expectancy at birth in the Slovak Republic stands at 77 years, three years below the OECD
average of 80 years. Higher life expectancy is generally associated with higher health care
spending per person, although many other factors have an impact on life expectancy (such as
living standards, lifestyles, education and environmental factors). When asked "How is your
health in general?" 66% of people in the Slovak Republic reported to be in good health, less than
the OECD average of 69%. Despite the subjective nature of this question, answers have been
found to be a good predictor of people's future health care use. Gender, age and social status may
affect answers to this question.
CONCLUSION
The Slovak Republic’s economy continues to perform extremely well both in terms of
macroeconomic outcomes and public finances. Employment is rising, prices have been stable,
and the external account is near balance in 2017 according to OECD economic survey.

8. The chart above indicates that in the year 2013 the happiness index score of Slovakia was about
5.95 and it significantly increases over the years gradually, that is, 2015 scores 5.98, 2016 scores
6.07, 2017 scores 6.09 and 2018 scores 6.17. Therefore, we concur that Slovakia’s happiness
index is increasing and not falling and in 5years to this moment they might tend to climb up the
ladder from 39th to 20th happiest country in the world depending on the rise and fall of Countries
ranked above it. Though, the margin of score increases with slight differences.
Lessons for Nigeria
The Capital of Nigeria is Abuja, Population of 190,886,311, Surface Area is 923,770 km2, and
Currency is Naira (1 EUR=356.0048 NGN), Religion is Islam and Christianity, it belongs
to ACP, ECOWAS, IMF, UN, OPEC, AU. The Capital of Slovakia is Bratislava, Population of
5,443,120, Surface Area is 49,035 km2, and Currency is Euros, Religion is Mostly Christianity,
and it belongs to COE, EA, EEA, IMF, NATO, OECD, UN, OSCE, EU.
In March 14, 2018, Nigeria was ranked 91st happiest country in the world with the score of
(5.155) as against Slovakia’s score (6.173) ranked 39th happiest country in the world.

9. From 2012-2014 Nigeria was ranked 78th happiest country in the world with score (5.332) and
Slovakia ranked 45th happiest country in the world with score (5.995).
The result above shows that Nigeria’s level of happiness dropped drastically in terms of ranking
and scores within 2012-2018 while Slovak Republics’ increases significantly over the years from
the overview Slovakia still has similar issues Nigeria is facing currently but they did not allow
the challenges to affect their growth and development. Rather, Slovakia is working towards
achieving the world’s happiness standard.
What should Nigeria do to make progress?
i. Nigeria should enhance the legislative and oversight roles of Parliamentarians on
SDGs implementation process, and also, to select committees on SDGs which should
be established in the Senate and House of Representatives.
ii. An Inter-Ministerial Committee on the SDGs should be established and operational
guidelines to guide the coordinated engagement with Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) and similar structures to be established at the sub-national (State)
level.
iii. Population increases daily and looking at the population of Nigeria compared to
Slovakia, we have a larger population than them and in terms of surface area as well,
therefore, the plans and budget of the government for the citizen yearly should be
proportional to the approximate total of the population and surface area covered.
iv. Nigeria should provide high-quality education to all students.
v. Nigeria should have a Technology-based, open and transparent progress tracking and
reporting systems for nationally agreed targets against set benchmarks
vi. It is necessary to devise innovative and adaptive practices and programme delivery
mechanisms to overcome bureaucratic bottlenecks often associated with the
implementation of national policies and programmes.
vii. Without necessarily downplaying the role of official development assistance and debt
financing through debt relief gains, domestic resource mobilization and new sources
of financing.
viii. Effective global and national partnerships are therefore, vital for the development of
Nigeria
ix. Nigeria should work on youths. Partnership with the National Youth Service Corps
(NYSC) to train graduating youths to become SDGs champions in their local
communities and areas of national service they are deployed upon graduation will
really help.

10. REFERENCES
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2012 Report: A global index of sustainable well-being. London: New Economics Foundation
(NEF).
Durand, M., & Smith, C. (2013). The OECD approach to measuring subjective well-being. In J.
F. Helliwell, R. Layard, & J. Sachs (Eds.), World happiness report 2013 (pp. 112-137). New
York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Esipova, N., Ray, J., Fleming, J., & Pugliese, A. (2018). Migrant Acceptance Index: Do migrants
have better lives in countries that accept them? Annex to World happiness report 2018.
http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/slovak-republic/
OECD (2017). How’s life?: Measuring well-being. Paris: OECD Publishing.
OECD (2015). In it together: Why less inequality benefits all. Paris: OECD Publishing. DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264235120-en.
WORLD HAPPINESS REPORT 2015. Edited by John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard, and Jeffrey
Sachs