<div class="container-center title-slide"> <div class="center title-content"> <h2 style="font-size: 48px; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 20px;"> Can Money Buy Happiness? <br> Exploring the Paradox through the Republic of Congo </h2> <p style="font-size: 18px; font-style: italic; color: #2c3e50; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 1.4;"> <b>Our World in Data</b> shows a strong global correlation between <b>GDP and life satisfaction (0.81)</b>—yet the Republic of Congo challenges this pattern, highlighting a unique paradox. Can financial wealth alone ensure happiness, or do other factors enhance the insights from Our World in Data? </p> <p style="font-size: 14px; color: #2c3e50;"> <b>Presented by</b>: Luong Chi Bach<br/> <b>Course</b>: Data Visualisation with R | MATH2459 <br> <b>Course Coordinator</b>: Arthur Tang <br> <b>Lecturer</b>: Dr. Kapil Dev, Tutor (Hanoi) </p> </div> </div> --- ## Global Correlation: GDP and Life Satisfaction <div class="container"> <div class="plot-column">
</div> <div class="text-column"> <p><strong>Wealth and happiness?</strong> This chart explores the link between <strong>GDP per capita</strong> and <strong>life satisfaction</strong> across countries in 2023. Each dot is a country, colored by region. Note: The x-axis uses a logarithmic scale to better visualize the wide range of GDP values.</p> <p><strong>Key Insight:</strong> A correlation of <strong>0.81</strong> shows a strong link—higher GDP often means higher satisfaction. Yet, outliers like the Republic of Congo suggest <strong>community</strong>, <strong>health</strong>, and <strong>social support</strong> also matter, setting the stage for a unique paradox.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> GDP predicts satisfaction. Source: [2]</p> <p><strong>NOTE:</strong> <strong>By selecting the symbol in the legend under the chart, you can choose to turn on/off.</strong></p> </div> </div> --- ## Republic of Congo’s Paradox: GDP Falls, Happiness Rises <div class="container-center"> <div class="plot-column center">
</div> </div> --- ## Why GDP Declined? (Part 1: The downfall because of Oil) <div class="container"> <div class="plot-column">
</div> <div class="text-column"> <p><strong>Oil dependency?</strong> Congo heavily relies on <strong>oil exports</strong> [3]. The <strong>2014 oil price crash</strong> slashed budget revenues, triggering a prolonged recession.</p> <p><strong>Key Insight:</strong> With <strong>average oil rents</strong> consistently above 20%, Congo’s economy is vulnerable to <strong>oil price volatility</strong> [4], leading to severe <strong>fiscal imbalances</strong> [5].</p> </div> </div> --- ## Why GDP Declined? (Part 2: The stall in growth of other sectors) <div class="container"> <div class="plot-column">
</div> <div class="text-column"> <p><strong>Lack of diversification?</strong> Despite <strong>NDP</strong> efforts to diversify, Congo’s economy stalled. <strong>Non-oil GDP growth</strong> slowed since 2013, with agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing underperforming [5].</p> <p><strong>Key Insight:</strong> Economic recession and <strong>COVID-19</strong> further hindered diversification, stunting non-oil sector growth and deepening GDP decline.</p> </div> </div> --- ## Why Life Satisfaction Increased? Foreign Aid and Living Conditions (2014–2020) <div class="container"> <div class="plot-column">
</div> <div class="text-column" style="border-left: 4px solid #1b9e77;"> <p><strong>Foreign Aid’s Impact on Living Conditions:</strong> From 2014 to 2020, Congo received <strong>substantial financial aid</strong> totaling $927.83 million. This aid significantly improved living conditions, as seen in the trends for electricity access, sanitation, and stunting rates.</p> <p><strong>Key Insight:</strong> The chart shows how foreign aid correlates with improvements in living conditions, with notable progress between 2014 and 2020, contributing to increased life satisfaction.</p> <p><strong>Reference:</strong> [14]</p> <p style="color: red; background-color: #ffe6e6;"><strong>Note:</strong> Use the dropdown menu above the chart to switch between different metrics (electricity access, sanitation access, stunting rate).</p> </div> </div> --- ## Why life satisfaction increase? - Another Factor: Reduced Conflict Deaths <div class="container"> <div class="plot-column">
</div> <div class="text-column"> <p><strong>Post-Crisis Stability:</strong> After the humanitarian crisis and civil war around 1997–1999, the people of the Republic of Congo experienced more peaceful years, contributing to increased life satisfaction.</p> <p><strong>Data Source:</strong> [13]</p> </div> </div> --- ## Conclusion: Money Can Buy Happiness – A Roadmap for Congo <div class="container-center"> <div class="plot-column center"> <div style="border-left: 4px solid #1b9e77; padding: 20px; border-radius: 8px; box-shadow: 3px 3px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.6; text-align: justify; width: 80%;"> <p><strong>Can Money Buy Happiness? Yes, It Can.</strong> Globally, a strong correlation (0.81) suggests that higher income often leads to higher life satisfaction [1]. Congo’s story powerfully affirms this, showing how financial resources, when used wisely, can indeed buy happiness.</p> <p><strong>Congo: An Outlier in Global Trends:</strong> According to Our World in Data, Congo stands out as an outlier [1]. While global trends link higher GDP per capita to increased life satisfaction, Congo’s GDP fell from 2011 to 2023, yet life satisfaction rose, showing a negative correlation. This anomaly arises because much of Congo’s income comes from foreign aid—totaling $927.83 million from 2014–2020—which isn’t fully reflected in GDP per capita. This highlights that GDP per capita doesn’t always capture a country’s true income, especially when foreign aid plays a significant role.</p> <p><strong>Foreign Aid Driving Happiness:</strong> In Congo, foreign aid has been transformative, funding infrastructure projects that improved living conditions, such as electricity, sanitation, and health [16][17]. Investments in rural electrification, clean water supply, schools, and health centers significantly enhanced living standards, particularly during 2014–2020 [16][17]. Reduced conflict after 1999 also brought stability, further supporting happiness.</p> <p><strong>The Answer:</strong> Congo demonstrates that money can buy happiness when directed toward basic needs and stability. Foreign aid, rather than GDP growth, has been the key driver of improved quality of life, underscoring the importance of how financial resources are utilized.</p> <p><strong>Roadmap for Congo:</strong> To sustain this progress, Congo should continue leveraging foreign aid to diversify into sustainable sectors and breaking free from oil dependency while prioritizing peace and living condition gains.</p> </div> </div> </div> --- ## References <div class="references-container"> <div class="references-text-column"> <div style="border-left: 4px solid #1b9e77; padding: 10px; border-radius: 8px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: left;"> <p>[1] Our World in Data. (n.d.). <i>GDP per capita vs. life satisfaction</i>. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/gdp-vs-happiness</p> <p>[2] Our World in Data. (n.d.). <i>Happiness and life satisfaction</i>. https://ourworldindata.org/happiness-and-life-satisfaction</p> <p>[3] World Bank. (2017). <i>Why Republic of Congo’s oil-driven growth model must change</i>. https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/africacan/why-republic-congos-oil-driven-growth-model-must-change</p> <p>[4] Oxford Institute for Energy Studies. (2022). <i>Diversification strategy under deep uncertainty for MENA oil-exporting countries</i>. https://www.oxfordenergy.org/publications/diversification-strategy-under-deep-uncertainty-for-mena-oil-exporting-countries/</p> <p>[5] International Monetary Fund. (2023). <i>Republic of Congo: 2023 Article IV consultation</i>. https://www.elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/002/2023/090/article-A001-en.xml</p> <p>[6] International Monetary Fund. (n.d.). <i>Gross debt as a percentage of GDP (Republic of Congo)</i>. https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/GGXWDG_NGDP@WEO/COG?zoom=COG&highlight=COG</p> <p>[7] World Bank. (n.d.). <i>Oil rents (% of GDP) - Republic of Congo</i>. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PETR.RT.ZS?locations=CG</p> <p>[8] Statista. (n.d.). <i>Brent crude oil price changes since 1976</i>. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262860/uk-brent-crude-oil-price-changes-since-1976/</p> </div> </div> <div class="references-text-column"> <div style="border-left: 4px solid #1b9e77; padding: 10px; border-radius: 8px; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.4; text-align: left;"> <p>[9] FRED. (n.d.). <i>Non-oil GDP growth, PPP terms (Republic of Congo)</i>. Federal Reserve Economic Data. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/COGNGDPXORPCPPPT</p> <p>[10] Our World in Data. (n.d.). <i>Number of people with and without electricity access</i>. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/people-without-electricity-country</p> <p>[11] Our World in Data. (n.d.). <i>Share of the population using improved sanitation facilities</i>. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-the-population-using-improved-sanitation-facilities</p> <p>[12] Our World in Data. (n.d.). <i>Share of children younger than 5 who suffer from stunting</i>. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-of-children-younger-than-5-who-suffer-from-stunting</p> <p>[13] Our World in Data. (n.d.). <i>Death rate in armed conflicts</i>. https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/death-rate-in-armed-conflicts</p> <p>[14] World Bank. (n.d.). <i>Net official development assistance and official aid received (Republic of Congo)</i>. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/DT.ODA.ALLD.CD?locations=CG</p> <p>[15] World Bank. (2023). <i>For the Republic of Congo, economic diversification offers a path to prosperity</i>. https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/congo/publication/for-the-republic-of-congo-economic-diversification-offers-a-path-to-prosperity</p> <p>[16] World Bank. (2018). <i>Republic of Congo - Poverty Assessment Report: Improving Infrastructure and Basic Services</i>. https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/892361543028432121/republic-of-congo-poverty-assessment-report-improving-infrastructure-and-basic-services</p> <p>[17] UNDP. (2019). <i>Foreign Aid and Development in the Republic of Congo: Building Infrastructure for a Better Future</i>. https://www.undp.org/congo/news/foreign-aid-and-development-republic-congo</p> </div> </div> </div>