The Political Economy Of Human Happiness

Author : Benjamin Radcliff
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 215 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2013-03-25
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781107030848

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The Political Economy of Human Happiness by Benjamin Radcliff Pdf

Data, methods and theories of contemporary social science can be applied to resolve how political outcomes in democratic societies determine the quality of life that citizens experience. Radcliff seeks to provide an objective answer to the debate between left and right over what public policies best contribute to people leading positive and rewarding lives. Radcliff offers an empirical answer, relying on the same canons of reason and evidence required of any other issue amenable to study through social-scientific means. The analysis focuses on the consequences of three specific political issues: the welfare state and the general size of government, labor organization, and state efforts to protect workers and consumers through economic regulation. The results indicate that in each instance, the program of the Left best contributes to citizens leading more satisfying lives and, critically, that the benefits of greater happiness accrue to everyone in society, rich and poor alike.

Author : Amitava Krishna Dutt,Benjamin Radcliff
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 373 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 2009-01-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781849801973

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Happiness, Economics and Politics by Amitava Krishna Dutt,Benjamin Radcliff Pdf

For those already drawn by the allure of happiness studies, Dutt and Radcliff here provide a rich tour of the frontier in the field. And for curmudgeons, this work goes far to defuse the skeptical reflex. It is subtle, intelligent, wide-ranging, informative and even readable throughout. James K. Galbraith, The University of Texas at Austin, US This timely and important book presents a unique study of happiness from both economic and political perspectives. It offers an overview of contemporary research on the emergent field of happiness studies and contains contributions by some of the leading figures in the field. General issues such as the history and conceptualization of happiness are explored, and the underpinning theories and empirics analyzed. The ways in which economic and political factors both separately and interactively affect the quality of human life are examined, illustrating the importance of a self-consciously multi-disciplinary approach to the field. In particular, the effects of consumption, income growth, inequality, discrimination, democracy, the nature of government policies, and labor organization on happiness are scrutinized. In conclusion, the contributors prescribe what can and should be done at individual and societal levels to improve human well-being and happiness. This wide-ranging and interdisciplinary book makes a unique contribution to the literature. As such, it will prove a fascinating read for students and scholars of economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and of course, to those with a special interest in the analysis of happiness and human well-being.

Author : Bruno S. Frey,Alois Stutzer
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 233 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2010-11-16
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781400829262

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Happiness and Economics by Bruno S. Frey,Alois Stutzer Pdf

Curiously, economists, whose discipline has much to do with human well-being, have shied away from factoring the study of happiness into their work. Happiness, they might say, is an ''unscientific'' concept. This is the first book to establish empirically the link between happiness and economics--and between happiness and democracy. Two respected economists, Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer, integrate insights and findings from psychology, where attempts to measure quality of life are well-documented, as well as from sociology and political science. They demonstrate how micro- and macro-economic conditions in the form of income, unemployment, and inflation affect happiness. The research is centered on Switzerland, whose varying degrees of direct democracy from one canton to another, all within a single economy, allow for political effects to be isolated from economic effects. Not surprisingly, the authors confirm that unemployment and inflation nurture unhappiness. Their most striking revelation, however, is that the more developed the democratic institutions and the degree of local autonomy, the more satisfied people are with their lives. While such factors as rising income increase personal happiness only minimally, institutions that facilitate more individual involvement in politics (such as referendums) have a substantial effect. For countries such as the United States, where disillusionment with politics seems to be on the rise, such findings are especially significant. By applying econometrics to a real-world issue of general concern and yielding surprising results, Happiness and Economics promises to spark healthy debate over a wide range of the social sciences.

Author : L. Bruni
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 635 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2007-01-01
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781847204158

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Handbook on the Economics of Happiness by L. Bruni Pdf

This book is a welcome consolidation and extension of the recent expanding debates on happiness and economics. Happiness and economics, as a new field for research, is now of pivotal interest particularly to welfare economists and psychologists.

Author : William THOMPSON (Writer on Political Economy.)
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 504 pages
File Size : 50,9 Mb
Release : 1850
Category : Economics
ISBN : BL:A0017205762

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An Inquiry into the principles of the Distribution of Wealth most conducive to human happiness; applied to the newly proposed system of voluntary equality of wealth by William THOMPSON (Writer on Political Economy.) Pdf

Author : William Thompson
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 508 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 1850
Category : Economics
ISBN : GENT:900000081097

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An Inquiry Into the Principles of the Distribution of Wealth Most Conducive to Human Happiness by William Thompson Pdf

Author : George Warde Norman
Publisher : Edward Elgar Publishing
Page : 264 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 2009
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : STANFORD:36105132223509

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Taxation and the Promotion of Human Happiness by George Warde Norman Pdf

This edition of a hitherto unknown work demonstrates the importance of utilitarianism to liberal thinking on taxation. As such, this unique book will appeal to specialists in the history of economic thought and to historians, especially those with an interest in the history of public finance, an area in which G.W. Norman's contribution has been almost entirely overlooked.

Author : Bruno S. Frey
Publisher : Springer
Page : 75 pages
File Size : 54,9 Mb
Release : 2018-02-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9783319758077

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Economics of Happiness by Bruno S. Frey Pdf

This book focuses on what makes people happy. The author explains methods for measuring subjective life satisfaction and well-being by discussing economic and sociodemographic factors, as well as the psychological, cultural and political dimensions of personal happiness. Does higher income increase happiness? Are people in rich countries, such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Scandinavian countries, happier than those living elsewhere? Does losing one’s job make one unhappy? What is the role of genetic endowments inherited from our parents? How important are physical and emotional health to subjective life satisfaction? Do older people tend to be happier, or younger people? Are close social relationships necessary for happiness? Do political conditions, such as respect for human rights, democracy and autonomy, play a part? How can governments contribute to the population’s happiness? This book answers these questions on the basis of extensive interdisciplinary research reflecting the current state of knowledge. The book will appeal to anyone interested in learning more about the various dimensions of personal well-being beyond the happiness-prosperity connection, as well as to policymakers looking for guidance on how to improve happiness in societies.

Author : Ian Steedman,John R Atherton,Elaine Graham
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 297 pages
File Size : 43,7 Mb
Release : 2010-08-03
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781136937552

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The Practices of Happiness by Ian Steedman,John R Atherton,Elaine Graham Pdf

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via www.tandfebooks.com as well as the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license and is part of the OAPEN-UK research project. There is growing evidence that rising levels of prosperity in Western economies since 1945 have not been matched by greater incidences of reported well-being and happiness. Indeed, material affluence is often accompanied instead by greater social and individual distress. A growing literature within the humanities and social sciences is increasingly concerned to chart not only the underlying trends in recorded levels of happiness, but to consider what factors, if any, contribute to positive and sustainable experiences of well-being and quality of life. Increasingly, such research is focusing on the importance of values and beliefs in human satisfaction or quality of life; but the specific contribution of religion to these trends is relatively under-examined. This unique collection of essays seeks to rectify that omission, by identifying the nature and role of the religious contribution to wellbeing. A unique collection of nineteen leading scholars from the field of economics, psychology, public theology and social policy have been brought together in this volume to explore the religious contribution to the debate about happiness and well-being. These essays explore the religious dimensions to a number of key features of well-being, including marriage, crime and rehabilitation, work, inequality, mental health, environment, participation, institutional theory, business and trade. They engage particularly closely with current trends in economics in identifying alternative models of economic growth which focus on its qualitative as well as quantitative dimensions. This unique volume brings to public notice the nature and role of religion’s contribution to wellbeing, including new ways of measurement and evaluation. As such, it represents a valuable and unprecedented resource for the development of a broad-based religious contribution to the field. It will be of particular relevance for those who are concerned about the continuing debate about personal and societal well-being, as well as those who are interested in the continuing significance of religion for the future of public policy.

Author : William Davies
Publisher : Verso Books
Page : 323 pages
File Size : 51,7 Mb
Release : 2015-05-12
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781781688465

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The Happiness Industry by William Davies Pdf

What was a Buddhist monk doing at the 2014 World Economic Forum in Davos lecturing the world's leaders on mindfulness? Why do many successful corporations have a 'chief happiness officer'? What can the chemical composition of your brain tell a potential employer about you? In the past decade, governments and corporations have become increasingly interested in measuring the way people feel: 'the Happiness index', 'Gross National Happiness', 'well-being' and positive psychology have come to dominate the way we live our lives. As a result, our emotions have become a new resource to be bought and sold. In a fascinating investigation combining history, science and ideas, William Davies shows how well-being influences all aspects of our lives: business, finance, marketing and smart technology. This book will make you rethink everything from the way you work, the power of the 'Nudge', the ever-expanding definitions of depression, and the commercialization of your most private feelings. The Happiness Industry is a shocking and brilliantly argued warning about the new religion of the age: our emotions.

Author : Johannes Hirata
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 209 pages
File Size : 53,8 Mb
Release : 2011-03-15
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781136808586

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Happiness, Ethics and Economics by Johannes Hirata Pdf

Annotation Modern happiness research has produced a wealth of evidence on the relationship between economic conditions and life satisfaction. This book provides an interpretation of this evidence and shows that it can be understood with the help of a handful of psychological and economic effects.

Author : Ragip Ege,Herrade Igersheim
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 318 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 2012-04-27
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781136666810

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Freedom and Happiness in Economic Thought and Philosophy by Ragip Ege,Herrade Igersheim Pdf

Starting from a distinction made by the American philosopher, John Rawls, in 2000 between two kinds of liberalism, "liberalism of freedom" and "liberalism of happiness", this book presents a range of articles by economists and philosophers debating the most fundamental aspects of the subject. These include the exact significance of Rawls’ distinction and how it can be related to European political philosophy on the one hand and to utilitarianism on the other hand; the various definitions of happiness and freedom and their implications and the informational basis of individual preferences. The objectives of the book are twofold: first, it is devoted to a thorough analysis of the founding texts of both liberalisms. It aims to determine the logic of selection of the concepts which these traditions consider as relevant. The Kantian pair "Reasonable"/"Rational" can be seen as the basis on which these concepts are defined, our final concern being to reveal the profound relations of complementarity between them: we call it reconciliation. Secondly, we consider a fundamental issue of welfare economics – how to appraise individual preferences – in light of the Rawlsian distinction. It is emphasized that neither a criterion based on liberalism of freedom by itself, nor an evaluation in terms of liberalism of happiness by itself exhausts the question of utility. One must combine both aspects in order to cope with that issue. To do so, it is claimed that one can resort to the concept of metaranking of preferences. All the contributions included in this book are the outcomes of a collective research project of three years. The contributors come from a variety of backgrounds and yet are unified in developing a specific position about freedom and happiness. This book should be of interest to those focusing on the history of economic thought as well as moral, political and economic philosophy.

Author : Derek Bok
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2011-09-26
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780691152561

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The Politics of Happiness by Derek Bok Pdf

Describes the principal findings of happiness researchers, assesses the strengths and weaknesses of such research, and looks at how governments could use results when formulating policies to improve the lives of citizens.

Author : Pablo Beramendi,Silja Häusermann,Herbert Kitschelt,Hanspeter Kriesi
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 473 pages
File Size : 42,8 Mb
Release : 2015-04-27
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781107099869

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The Politics of Advanced Capitalism by Pablo Beramendi,Silja Häusermann,Herbert Kitschelt,Hanspeter Kriesi Pdf

This book takes stock of the major economic and political challenges advanced capitalist democracies face today. It provides a synthetic view, allowing the reader to grasp the nature of key structural transformations and their consequences in terms of the politics of change, policy outputs, and outcomes.

Author : David Ricardo
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 566 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 1821
Category : Economics
ISBN : OXFORD:300151240

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On the Principles of Political Economy, and Taxation by David Ricardo Pdf