Happiness as a Policy Objective

The project aims to explore the potential of happiness to serve as a policy objective in the service of good development. Recent empirical research clearly shows that decades of economic growth have done nothing to increase average levels of subjective well-being of societies. This raises the question whether the current emphasis on economic indicators, especially Gross National Product (GNP) growth, on most political agendas is not in fact misplaced.

Proclaiming happiness as the ultimate purpose of societal development, it could be argued, would be more appropriate as this would direct policy towards the end of, rather than towards a mere means to, societal development. However, conceiving of happiness as an end, it will be argued, would fail to recognize that people do most often not aspire happiness itself but rather specific reasons to be happy. Happiness then ensues as a byproduct of processes or outcomes desired for their intrinsic value. This conception of happiness raises questions as to the systematic status happiness should take within a conception of good socio-economic development. The thesis will be developed out of an explicitly ethical perspective. At the same time, the concrete relevance of the argument presented for socio-economic policy shall be made as clear as possible.

Aufenthaltsort: Ibmec Business School, São Paulo (Brasilien),
Centre for Bhutan Studies, Thimphu (Bhutan)
Referenten: Peter Ulrich (IWE-HSG), Dieter Thomä (KWA-HSG)