An empirical assessment of the indigenous Sumak Kawsay (living well): the importance of nature and relationships

Abstract

The results are in line with previous research, as they indicate that most of the Sumak

Kawsay variables are positively related to the two measures of SWB. However, consider- ing oneself to be indigenous is related to lower levels of life satisfaction. We argue that this

might be because the Ecuadorian development process over the last decade has rejected the concept of Sumak Kawsay, and does not benefit indigenous people’s lives. The remainder of this chapter is structured as follows: in section 21.2, we present the theoretical framework, explaining in further detail the significance of Sumak Kawsay as well as the relationship between Sumak Kawsay and SWB. In section 21.3, we outline the data, the variables, the method and the hypotheses. In section 21.4, we report the results, and finally in section 21.5 we conclude, discussing the results and proposing a new politi- cal direction following the results.