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Abstract
The paper deals with the subject Transition economy and happiness – a case study of the Czech Republic in a comparison with The
Netherlands in the 1990- 2004 period. The paper addresses the following two questions: 1. How has the level of happiness changed since
1990 in the Czech Republic and in The Netherlands? 2. Are there differences with respect to variables that explain differences in happiness
between both countries. It appears that. at the beginning of the 1990s of the last century, the Czechs were less happy than the Dutch and, that,
people in the Czech Republic were less happy in 1999 than they were in 2004. Furthermore, Happiness in the Czech Republic is approaching
the level of happiness in The Netherlands. In both countries happiness is positively affected by subjective health status, perceived freedom of
choice over life, being married or living together and satisfaction with one’s financial situation and having trust in social institutions. But
there are differences with respect to the impact of age, education and religion .