Economics and Happiness

Business & Finance
Cover of the book Economics and Happiness by Henning Müller, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Henning Müller ISBN: 9783640945160
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: June 28, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Henning Müller
ISBN: 9783640945160
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: June 28, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Economics - Other, grade: 1,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, language: English, abstract: 'Money does not buy happiness' - with that statement Richard Easterlin (1974) somehow initiated a new field of research for economists. Within the last thirty years plenty of surveys and dozens of papers were produced to identify the determinants of happiness. Unfortunately little importance was attached to a definition or a consistent concept of what 'happiness' is. Only within the last decade happiness research has gained the self-efficacy to educe policy recommendations from its own insights - with ambiguous success. In my paper I will give a brief summary of the central findings in happiness research and introduce some approaches of explanations for surprising evidence. In the end I will present a few policy recommendations to illustrate the above mentioned dubiousness of success. As I have to present plenty of evidence I will set aside criticism of methodology in every single survey and leave it with a cross-the-board one right now: happiness research has to catch up to a considerable degree in methods of conceptualization, measurement and statistics. In the first section, I will present a general approach to the term 'happiness', its use and its measurement. Next I will describe the main identified and examined determinants1 of happiness - namely income, unemployment and inflation, democracy, hardship and inequality. Section 4 deals with concepts that perhaps can give a microtheoretical foundation for some of the results in happiness research. Not surprisingly they stem from psychology because classic economic theory assuming rational decisions ('homo oeconomicus') is not capable of describing irrationalities like rivalry, adaptation or aspiration level shifts. In the last section I will introduce some implications for policy found in literature. Finally, the content of this paper is summarized. Modern economic policy aims at stabilizing a steady economic growth. In contrast, Aristotle defines 'happiness' as self-sufficiency. Thus, there is an obvious discrepan-cy between happiness and what were reaching for today. So we should first take a look at what we want to study.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2009 in the subject Economics - Other, grade: 1,7, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, language: English, abstract: 'Money does not buy happiness' - with that statement Richard Easterlin (1974) somehow initiated a new field of research for economists. Within the last thirty years plenty of surveys and dozens of papers were produced to identify the determinants of happiness. Unfortunately little importance was attached to a definition or a consistent concept of what 'happiness' is. Only within the last decade happiness research has gained the self-efficacy to educe policy recommendations from its own insights - with ambiguous success. In my paper I will give a brief summary of the central findings in happiness research and introduce some approaches of explanations for surprising evidence. In the end I will present a few policy recommendations to illustrate the above mentioned dubiousness of success. As I have to present plenty of evidence I will set aside criticism of methodology in every single survey and leave it with a cross-the-board one right now: happiness research has to catch up to a considerable degree in methods of conceptualization, measurement and statistics. In the first section, I will present a general approach to the term 'happiness', its use and its measurement. Next I will describe the main identified and examined determinants1 of happiness - namely income, unemployment and inflation, democracy, hardship and inequality. Section 4 deals with concepts that perhaps can give a microtheoretical foundation for some of the results in happiness research. Not surprisingly they stem from psychology because classic economic theory assuming rational decisions ('homo oeconomicus') is not capable of describing irrationalities like rivalry, adaptation or aspiration level shifts. In the last section I will introduce some implications for policy found in literature. Finally, the content of this paper is summarized. Modern economic policy aims at stabilizing a steady economic growth. In contrast, Aristotle defines 'happiness' as self-sufficiency. Thus, there is an obvious discrepan-cy between happiness and what were reaching for today. So we should first take a look at what we want to study.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book The best what we can be - Gilgamesh the hero who found himself by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Optimisation of procurement processes by the example Sanitärtechnik Eisenberg by Henning Müller
Cover of the book We are living in an era of globalisation, yet there is evidence that distance still matters, and increasingly so by Henning Müller
Cover of the book A Brief Report on Data Breaches in U.S. Healthcare. What, Why, and How? by Henning Müller
Cover of the book International marketing entry strategy for the Red//Green Company by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Identity and Difference by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Modern utopia and dystopia in the novel 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Mexican Immigration by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Turkey's quest for EU membership: Recent developments by Henning Müller
Cover of the book The use of Facebook by companies by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Death Penalty in the USA by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Entering the Swedish market: The Karstadt GmbH case by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Fitting already in? Romania and the political criterion of Copenhagen by Henning Müller
Cover of the book You speak German very well - Integration of immigrants in Western countries by Henning Müller
Cover of the book Gender disparities in India's educational system and the role of UNICEF by Henning Müller
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy