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Abstract: Using South African data, the paper poses six questions about the determinants of subjective well-being. Much of the paper is concerned with the role of relative concepts. We find that comparator income, when measured as the average income of others in the local residential cluster, enters the household''s utility function positively (close neighbors are ‘positives’, not ‘negatives’), but that the income of more distant others enters negatively. Race-based comparator groups are also important in racially divided South Africa. Relative income is more important to happiness at higher levels of absolute income. Potential explanations and implications of these results are considered. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Substance use among adolescents is a serious problem worldwide. Despite the commonly held belief that European youth have fewer problems with drinking than American youth, recent data from representative surveys in Europe and the United States suggest that the opposite may be true. While extensive research on youth alcohol and drug use exists in developed countries, data are lacking in other regions of the world. Sharing knowledge across countries and cultures may help us better understand patterns of youth substance use, related problems, and treatment needs, and may increase the likelihood that countries will develop informed social policies for their adolescent populations.