Happiness Quantified

Author : Bernard van Praag
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191607738
Total Pages : 392 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Happiness Quantified written by Bernard van Praag and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2007-12-27 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we measure happiness? Focusing on subjective measures as a proxy for welfare and well-being, this book finds ways to do that. Subjective measures have been used by psychologists, sociologists, political scientists, and, more recently, economists to answer a variety of scientifically and politically relevant questions. Van Praag, a pioneer in this field since 1971, and Ferrer-i-Carbonell present in this book a generally applicable methodology for the analysis of subjective satisfaction. Drawing on a range of surveys on people's satisfaction with their jobs, income, housing, marriages, and government policy, among other areas of life, this book shows how satisfaction with life "as a whole" is an aggregate of these domain satisfactions. Using German, British, Dutch, and Russian data, the authors cover a wide range of topics, even some not usually considered part of economic study. The book makes a distinction between actual satisfaction levels and individual norms, and in this way complements Van Praag's earlier work within the Leyden School with his later work in "happiness research". Among the many topics covered, the authors discuss: individuals' memory and anticipation processes and the estimation of adaptation phenomena (how individuals adapt to changing circumstances); the effect of reference groups on income norms and satisfaction with income; the importance of climate for well-being, including the development of a climate-equivalence index; the trade-offs between chronic diseases and income when well-being is kept constant; the damage of aircraft noise on well-being; the construction of a new talent tax tariff; and inequality from a satisfaction perspective, including the definition of "satisfaction inequalities", a natural extension of income inequality and poverty. This groundbreaking book presents new and fruitful methodology that consitutes a welcome addition to the social sciences.

Author : Bernard M. S. van Praag
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199226148
Total Pages : 392 pages
Book Rating : 4.46/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Happiness Quantified written by Bernard M. S. van Praag and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Using German, British, Dutch, and Russian data, the authors cover a wide range of topics.

Author : Joachim Weimann
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262323729
Total Pages : 223 pages
Book Rating : 4.27/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Measuring Happiness written by Joachim Weimann and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2015-02-06 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An investigation of the happiness-prosperity connection and whether economists can measure well-being. Can money buy happiness? Is income a reliable measure for life satisfaction? In the West after World War II, happiness seemed inextricably connected to prosperity. Beginning in the 1960s, however, other values began to gain ground: peace, political participation, civil rights, environmentalism. “Happiness economics”—a somewhat incongruous-sounding branch of what has been called “the dismal science”—has taken up the puzzle of what makes people happy, conducting elaborate surveys in which people are asked to quantify their satisfaction with “life in general.” In this book, three economists explore the happiness-prosperity connection, investigating how economists measure life satisfaction and well-being. The authors examine the evolution of happiness research, considering the famous “Easterlin Paradox,” which found that people's average life satisfaction didn't seem to depend on their income. But they question whether happiness research can measure what needs to be measured. They argue that we should not assess people's well-being on a “happiness scale,” because that necessarily obscures true social progress. Instead, rising income should be understood as increasing opportunities and alleviating scarcity. Economic growth helps societies to sustain freedom and to finance social welfare programs. In this respect, high income may not buy happiness with life in general, but it gives individuals the opportunity to be healthier, better educated, better clothed, and better fed, to live longer, and to live well.

Author : Yew-Kwang Ng
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 9813349727
Total Pages : 188 pages
Book Rating : 4.28/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Happiness—Concept, Measurement and Promotion written by Yew-Kwang Ng and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-12-03 with total page 188 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This open access book defines happiness intuitively and explores several common conceptual mistakes with regard to happiness. It then moves on to address topical issues including, but not limited to, whether money can buy you happiness, why happiness is ultimately the only thing of intrinsic value, and the various factors important for happiness. It also presents a more reliable and interpersonally comparable method for measuring happiness and discusses twelve factors, from A to L, that are crucial for individual happiness: attitude, balance, confidence, dignity, engagement, family/friends, gratitude, health, ideals, joyfulness, kindness and love. Further, it examines important public policy considerations, taking into account recent advances in economics, the environmental sciences, and happiness studies. Novel issues discussed include: an environmentally responsible happy nation index to supplement GDP, the East Asian happiness gap, a case for stimulating pleasure centres of the brain, and an argument for higher public spending.

Author : Stefano Bartolini
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 019107652X
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.27/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Policies for Happiness written by Stefano Bartolini and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2016-03-11 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In recent years, debates on the economics of happiness have shown that, over the long-term, well-being is influenced more by social and personal relationships than by income. This evidence challenges the traditional economic policy paradigm that has emphasized income as the primary determinant of well-being. This volume brings together contributions from leading scholars to ask: What should be done to improve the quality of people's lives? Can economic and social changes be made which enhance well-being? What policies are required? How do policies for well-being differ from traditional ones targeted on redistribution, the correction of market inefficiencies, and growth? Are there dimensions of well-being that have been neglected by traditional policies? Is happiness a meaningful policy target? The volume presents reflections and proposals which constitute a first step towards answering these questions.

Author : David Maddison
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1788119347
Total Pages : 448 pages
Book Rating : 4.44/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment written by David Maddison and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2020-05-29 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This topical and engaging Handbook brings together cutting-edge research on the relationship between happiness and the natural environment. With interdisciplinary contributions from top scholars, it explores the role of happiness research as a new approach to environmental social science, illustrating the critical links between human wellbeing, happiness and the environment.

Author : Bruno S. Frey
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262260727
Total Pages : 197 pages
Book Rating : 4.25/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Happiness written by Bruno S. Frey and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2010-08-13 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A leading economist discusses the potential of happiness research (the quantification of well-being) to answer important questions that standard economics methods are unable to analyze. Revolutionary developments in economics are rare. The conservative bias of the field and its enshrined knowledge make it difficult to introduce new ideas not in line with received theory. Happiness research, however, has the potential to change economics substantially in the future. Its findings, which are gradually being taken into account in standard economics, can be considered revolutionary in three respects: the measurement of experienced utility using psychologists' tools for measuring subjective well-being; new insights into how human beings value goods and services and social conditions that include consideration of such non-material values as autonomy and social relations; and policy consequences of these new insights that suggest different ways for government to affect individual well-being. In Happiness, emphasizing empirical evidence rather than theoretical conjectures, Bruno Frey substantiates these three revolutionary claims for happiness research. After tracing the major developments of happiness research in economics and demonstrating that we have gained important new insights into how income, unemployment, inflation, and income demonstration affect well-being, Frey examines such wide-ranging topics as democracy and federalism, self-employment and volunteer work, marriage, terrorism, and watching television from the new perspective of happiness research. Turning to policy implications, Frey describes how government can provide the conditions for people to achieve well-being, arguing that a crucial role is played by adequate political institutions and decentralized decision making. Happiness demonstrates the achievements of the economic happiness revolution and points the way to future research.

Author : Fred Feldman
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 019161436X
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.61/5 ( download)

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Download or read book What Is This Thing Called Happiness? written by Fred Feldman and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2010-03-18 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to an ancient and still popular view — sometimes known as 'eudaimonism' — a person's well-being, or quality of life, is ultimately determined by his or her level of happiness. According to this view, the happier a person is, the better off he is. The doctrine is controversial in part because the nature of happiness is controversial. In What Is This Thing Called Happiness? Fred Feldman presents a study of the nature and value of happiness. Part One contains critical discussions of the main philosophical and psychological theories of happiness. Feldman presents arguments designed to show that each of these theories is problematic. Part Two contains his presentation and defense of his own theory of happiness, which is a form of attitudinal hedonism. On this view, a person's level of happiness may be identified with the extent to which he or she takes pleasure in things. Feldman shows that if we understand happiness as he proposes, it becomes reasonable to suppose that a person's well-being is determined by his or her level of happiness. This view has important implications not only for moral philosophy, but also for the emerging field of hedonic psychology. Part Three contains discussions of some interactions between the proposed theory of happiness and empirical research into happiness.

Author : Luigino Bruni
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134340524
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.21/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Civil Happiness written by Luigino Bruni and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2006-04-18 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This impressive volume presents an historical review of the evolution of economic thought. Bruni offers a significant contribution for a new season of studies on happiness and sociality in economics.

Author : Luigino Bruni
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199532141
Total Pages : 361 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Capabilities and Happiness written by Luigino Bruni and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2008-10-30 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Approaches to well-being have been hotly debated across the social sciences, with most challenging the conventional economic approach which uses income as a key indicator of happiness. This volume compares and contrasts two such approaches, the Capability and Happiness Approach, via a series of interdisciplinary papers from top names in the field.