In this study, we identify some individual and contextual factors potentially affecting subjective well-being in developing countries and check their effect in the Ecuadorian case. Ecuador is an oil country where attempts have been made to overcome deep social and territorial inequalities by placing human well-being at the core of public policy through the National Plan for Good Living. By means of ordinary least squares and ordered logit with clustered standard errors, as well as multilevel ordered logit models, we find that oil-dependent territories negatively affect well-being. Moreover, women and indigenous people report lower well-being, while personal income, education, housing quality, institutional trust, health insurance and social relationships can improve it. From a policy perspective, we find that basic unmet needs still need to be fulfilled to increase well-being, and further improvements of the institutional framework, redistributive system and inclusion policies are required. In this respect, we observe that Good Living-based policy accurately addresses these elements and, therefore, has great potential for application in other countries with similar characteristics.

To analyze the effects of taxing sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in Ecuador, this study estimates a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System model using data from the 2011–2012 National Survey of Income and Expenditure for Urban and Rural Households. We derive own- and cross-price elasticities by income quintiles and consumption deciles for five beverages, including two types of sugary drink: (i) milk, (ii) soft drinks, (iii) water, (iv) other sugary drinks, and (v) coffee and tea. Overall, results show that a 20% increase in the price of SSBs will decrease the consumption of soft drinks and other sugary drinks by 27% and 22%, respectively. Heterogeneous consumer behavior is revealed across income and consumption groups, as well as policy-relevant complementarity and substitution patterns. Policy impacts are simulated by considering an 18 cents per liter tax, implemented in Ecuador, and an ad-valorem 20% tax on the price. Estimated tax revenues and weight loss are larger for the latter. From a health perspective, high-income and heavy consumer households would benefit the most from this policy. Our study supports an evidence-based debate on how to correctly design and monitor food policy.

The main objective of this article is to explore new paradigms of teacher training in the field of environmental education. That is why this qualitative study explores the literature on ecological economics and degrowth to identify the most important theoretical principles that can be integrated into environmental education practices. From a transdisciplinary approach, the study integrates a philosophical and epistemological dialogue between scientific knowledge and indigenous wisdom of the Ecuadorian peoples. Then, the results of introducing the ecological economics foundations in the Ecuadorian environmental education policies are described with the analysis of the TiNi program. Subsequently, the emergence of the regenerative economics in the literature is discussed. To conclude, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are questioned for their conventional economic vision, and regenerative cultures are proposed to promote world futures focused in human well-being and environmental justice.

Resumen El propósito del artículo es contribuir a los objetivos de desarrollo sostenible (ODS) 1, 4 y 5 en la Región Andina, desde una posición crítica, intercultural y decolonial. La metodología sistematiza, analiza e interpreta los datos obtenidos del estudio comparativo en los siete países andinos, usando distintos índices de pobreza, educación y género de 2007 a 2017. Como resultado, el artículo permite conocer la evolución política, económica, educativa y social en Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú y Venezuela. También se desarrolla un enfoque intersectorial con el fin de reconocer las condiciones de inequidad estructural que sufren los pueblos indígenas y afrodescendientes de estas sociedades andinas. Para concluir, se formulan propuestas para (re)pensar y (re)construir las estrategias, planes y políticas públicas de la región.

1. Interest in intergenerational mobility studies has increased in the past decade because of the widespread notion that higher cross-sectional inequality is associated with lower mobility across g...

This paper unveils the dynamics of internal migration in Ecuador using data from the last two census. The use of chord diagrams allows one to identify the changing patterns of migration between provinces. In the last period, internal migration decreased notably, and traditional destination provinces lost importance in favour of a more balanced redistribution of people within the country.