Overview

Economists are increasingly using happiness surveys to study a host of questions, ranging from the happiness effects of health and marriage to the unhappiness effects of unemployment, divorce, and even commuting time. Carol Graham was a pioneer in the economic study of happiness, and she has been involved from the beginning in discussions about applying this approach to economic policymaking. In this straightforward and accessible book, Graham explores what we know about the determinants of happiness across and within countries of different development levels, including some counterintuitive and surprising relationships.

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9780815721277

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Reviews

As acceptance of social science research on happiness continues to grow, a new question has naturally surged to the fore: Should happiness be a goal of public policy? In this eloquently written celebration of a new science, Carol Graham provides valuable new insight into the pros and cons of this issue. --Richard A. Easterlin, University Professor and Professor of Economics, University of Southern California Since 1776 the pursuit of happiness has been the great world question. Here, reflecting on modern survey techniques and results, Carol Graham drills deeper. What does happiness mean? For example, is it opportunity for a meaningful life? Or, is it blissful contentment? And why does it vary, as it does, across individuals and around the world? How does the perception of happiness differ in countries as disparate as Cuba, Afghanistan, Japan, and Russia? Carol Graham is opening up a whole new frontier in economic and social policy. --George Akerlof, Daniel E. Koshland Sr. Distinguished Professor of Economics, University of California-Berkeley, and 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics The Pursuit of Happiness is a consummate work of scholarship that adds important insights to the worldwide debate on economic well-being. Around the world, governments and citizens are realizing that the Gross National Product is often failing to steer our economies towards desirable ends. The search is on for more appropriate metrics and goals. Carol Graham, a pioneer in the field of happiness economics, builds on a decade of her research to offer clear and careful suggestions for policymakers and scholars who aim to make happiness a central and explicit aim of public policy. With great care and judgment, and consistent clear thinking, Graham explains many of the complexities that will arise in defining, measuring, and targeting happiness in economic policy. Yet Graham urges us to persevere, and her new book will help the world to move forward on this new and promising economic course. --Jeffrey D. Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Special Advisor to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the Millennium Development Goals

Author Information

Carol Graham is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development and Charles Robinson Chair in Foreign Policy at the Brookings Institution. She is also College Park Professor at the University of Maryland's School of Public Policy. Her previous books include Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires (Oxford University Press) and Happiness and Hardship: Opportunity and Insecurity in New Market Economies (Brookings Institution Press, with Stefano Pettinato).

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