GCPH Seminar Series 5: Should Government Try to Make us Happy?

GCPH Seminar Series 5: Should Government Try to Make us Happy?

The determinants of 'happiness' and its distribution both domestically and internationally suggest that a more appropriate target for policy is 'unhappiness', which responds to several forms of public action. But setting happiness as an objective does suggest some policy priorities. These include non-material forms of recognition, taxation of positional goods and support of culture and the arts. Individuals have an intrinsic short-term myopic bias, which is exacerbated by the flow of novelty in affluent societies. They find it difficult to commit. Government has a role in supporting personal and social commitment for the long term, for example in co-ordinating responses to challenges such as climate change and energy depletion.

Added By:	EPrints Services
Date Added:	19 Oct 2015 09:34
Name:	Avner Offer
Tags:	Public Health, Glasgow Centre for Population Health, Social Policy
Viewing permissions:	World
Link:	https://edshare.ecs.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/1353
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