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Three questions about happiness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 December 2019

JOHN F. HELLIWELL
JOHN F. HELLIWELL*
Affiliation:
Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
*
*Correspondence to: Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, 6000 Iona Dr, Vancouver, BCV6T 1L4, Canada. Email john.helliwell@ubc.ca
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Abstract

The paper by Frijters, Clark, Krekel and Layard makes a strong historical case for treating happiness as a primary measure of human welfare. They argue that it is now time to revamp the science of policy-making to re-establish this central tradition, building on recent progress in measuring and understanding subjective wellbeing. I agree with them. There are three key questions raised in or by their presentation that need further evidence. I shall try to address these in turn. The questions relate to how to measure happiness, how to measure and deal with inequality and how to take due account of the social context of wellbeing, including the need to achieve consistency between individual and societal happiness.

Type
Articles
Information
Behavioural Public Policy , Volume 4 , Special Issue 2: On Happiness Being the Goal of Government , July 2020 , pp. 177 - 187
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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