The politics of happiness : what government can learn from the new research on well-being
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
The politics of happiness : what government can learn from the new research on well-being
Princeton University Press, c2010
- : hardcover
Available at 23 libraries
  Aomori
  Iwate
  Miyagi
  Akita
  Yamagata
  Fukushima
  Ibaraki
  Tochigi
  Gunma
  Saitama
  Chiba
  Tokyo
  Kanagawa
  Niigata
  Toyama
  Ishikawa
  Fukui
  Yamanashi
  Nagano
  Gifu
  Shizuoka
  Aichi
  Mie
  Shiga
  Kyoto
  Osaka
  Hyogo
  Nara
  Wakayama
  Tottori
  Shimane
  Okayama
  Hiroshima
  Yamaguchi
  Tokushima
  Kagawa
  Ehime
  Kochi
  Fukuoka
  Saga
  Nagasaki
  Kumamoto
  Oita
  Miyazaki
  Kagoshima
  Okinawa
  Korea
  China
  Thailand
  United Kingdom
  Germany
  Switzerland
  France
  Belgium
  Netherlands
  Sweden
  Norway
  United States of America
Note
Includes bibliographical references and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
During the past forty years, thousands of studies have been carried out on the subject of happiness. Some have explored the levels of happiness or dissatisfaction associated with typical daily activities, such as working, seeing friends, or doing household chores. Others have tried to determine the extent to which income, family, religion, and other factors are associated with the satisfaction people feel about their lives. The Gallup organization has begun conducting global surveys of happiness, and several countries are considering publishing periodic reports on the growth or decline of happiness among their people. One nation, tiny Bhutan, has actually made 'Gross National Happiness' the central aim of its domestic policy. How might happiness research affect government policy in the United States - and beyond? In "The Politics of Happiness", former Harvard president Derek Bok examines how governments could use the rapidly growing research data on what makes people happy - in a variety of policy areas to increase well-being and improve the quality of life for all their citizens. Bok first describes the principal findings of happiness researchers.
He considers how reliable the results appear to be and whether they deserve to be taken into account in devising government policies. Recognizing both the strengths and weaknesses of happiness research, Bok looks at the policy implications for economic growth, equality, retirement, unemployment, health care, mental health, family programs, education, and government quality, among other subjects. Timely and incisive, "The Politics of Happiness" sheds new light on what makes people happy and how government policy could foster greater satisfaction for all.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1: What Investigators Have Discovered 9 CHAPTER 2: The Reliability of Research on Happiness 32 CHAPTER 3: Should Policy-Makers Use Happiness Research? 45 CHAPTER 4: The Question of Growth 63 CHAPTER 5: What to Do about Inequality 79 CHAPTER 6: The Threat of Financial Hardship 99 CHAPTER 7: Relieving Suffering 124 CHAPTER 8: Marriages and Families 139 CHAPTER 9: Education 156 CHAPTER 10: The Quality of Government 179 CHAPTER 11: The Significance of Happiness Research 204 Notes 213 Index 247
by "Nielsen BookData"