Year: 2014
Type: preprint
Abstract: The empirical literature on the economics of happiness has grown rapidly, and much has been learned about the determinants of subjective well-being.Less attention has been paid to its normative implications.Taking China as a case study, this paper first summarises empirical results on the determinants of subjective well-being and then considers whether that evidence can be used for social evaluation.Different criteria for social evaluation give very different answers: on the one hand, real income per capita and the human development index have risen rapidly in recent years but, on the other hand, subjective well-being appears not to have risen at all.Ultimately a value judgement is required: arguments are presented for and against including subjective well-being, either alone or with other criteria, in the social welfare function.
Authors: John Knight, Ramani Gunatilaka
Language: English
Subfield: Social Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: No poverty
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2139903344