CSOC-316: Economics of Happiness

Weekly Schedule of Classes and Required Readings.

Week 1. September 11

Introduction to the Course:

ÒAll citizens are entitled to Òlife, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.Ó

Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, 1776

Why Study Happiness?

Readings:

1.   The Economics Of Happiness: Measuring Wellbeing

 

2.   Is the U.S. Moving Toward a ÔHappiness IndexÕ?Ó by Wendy Koch. USA Today

3.   http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/health/wellness/story/2012-06-20/gross-national-happiness/56669830/1

Do you know what really makes you happy? What is important to you in achieving your own wellbeing and satisfaction with life? Maybe it is about time you found out...

Study Questions

Week II & III: September 18 & 25

Week II & III: Economic Theories of Happiness

Questions: How can we explain happiness? What are the different concepts that help to account for differences in happiness? How have conceptions of happiness differed over time?

Readings:

1.   The Economics of Happiness Richard A. Easterlin

2.   Bruno S. Frey , Happiness A Revolution in Economics, 3-14

3.   Carol Graham. (2011). Pp. 27-44 in The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of

4.   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0f5hiHHzGw

5.     Film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvVeJFLgGp4

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________-

     Week IV:  October 2, Class Discussion and Debate: Why Study Happiness?

Study Questions

Week V: October 9

Week IV: Measuring The wealth of a nation;

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using Gross Domestic Product/Gross National Product as measure of a countryÕs success?

1.   Watch: The Economics of happiness

2.    Justin Fox, The Economics of Well-Being, ( 2012) issue of Harvard Business Review.

3.    Richard Easterlin, (2016) The science of happiness can trump GDP as a guide for policy.

4.    GDP Rules the World but should it?

 

5.    Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton, (2010),  High income improves evaluation of life but not emotional well-being

 

Study Questions

1.   Week VI: October 16

Section II. Economics and Happiness: Money and Happiness


Questions: What is the relationship between higher incomes and happiness?

Readings:

1.    Beyond GDP – is it time to rethink the way we measure growth?

2.    What is GNH

3.     How Do we measure Wellbeing.

 

1.    Interview with Richard Easterlin: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-0EyuXYco

 

Week VII. October 23, Class Discussion 

Wealth and Well Being

Are There better Methods to measuring Happiness?

1.    David G. Myers (2002) Chapter 1 & 2, What is Well Being and Wealth: Who is Happy – And Why. Pp 21-47

2.    Beyond GDP: are there better ways to measure well-being?

 

Week VIII: October 30,

 Develop your GNH 

 

GNP vs. GDP vs. HDI 


  1. Zachary Karabell, The Leading Indicators (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2014).

 

2.     GDP rules the world, but should it?

  1.     4 lessons from Bhutan on the pursuit of happiness above GDP

 

Week IX November 6:

Geography and Happiness Around the World

Questions:

1.    How and why are people in different countries more or less happy?

2.    What is the role of standard of living and economic development in producing these country differences in happiness?

  1. What is the role of culture and institutions in producing these country differences in happiness?

Readings :


  1. WorldÕs Happiest Places
  2. The World Happiness Report 2019
  3. Carol Graham. (2011). Pp. 62-80 in The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being. Washington, D.C.: Brookings. https://www.intelligenthq.com/resources/happiness-economics/

4.   The Happiest Places in The USA

Week X November 13

Work and Happiness

Questions: What is the relationship between work and happiness? Why are some people satisfied with their work and others not happy? The relationship between happiness and work is subject to an ever growing empirical literature in economics

Readings:

1.     Derek Thompson, (Feb, 24, 2019) Workism is Making Americans Miserable.

2.     Jonathan Haidt (2006) The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. Pp 213-239, New York: Basic Books.

3.     Annabelle Krause. (2011).  ÒHappiness and WorkÓ IZA Discussion Paper No. 8435 (August).  http://ftp.iza.org/dp8435.pdf

 

 

Week XI. November 20

     Creativity and Economic Happiness

 

Readings:

1)    Marina Di Giacinto, Francesco Ferrante, and Domenico Vistocco , ÒPolicy for Happiness Siena, Certosa di Pontignano,Ó 14-17 June, 2007, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228430332_Creativity_and_happiness

2)    Carol Graham, Soumya Chattopadhyay, and Jai Roberto Lakhanpal The Brookings Institution, ÒUsing New Metrics to Assess the Role of the Arts in Well-Being: Some Initial Results from the Economics of Happiness  https://www.arts.gov/sites/default/files/Brookings-Final-Report.pdf

3)  https://www.arts.gov/art-works/2014/taking-note-arts-and-subjective-well-being-measurement          

 

Week XII. November 27 No Class,

 Happy Thanks Giving.

 

Week XIII. December 4 

 Questions: What are the challenges and limits to increasing happiness through public policies?

 Is AmericaÕs Salary to Happiness Ratio  nearing its ceiling?

 

   Readings:

1.           JACOB HANDS,  ÒIs It Time To Rethink the Economics of Happiness? May16, 2001

2.   Bruno S. Frey; Alois Stutzer , ÒWhat Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?Ó Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 40, No. 2. (Jun., 2002), pp. 402-435.  

         

Week XIV. December 11 

Changing  Models from Growth to Happiness 

Readings:

JapanÕs Paradigm Shift From Growth To Happiness:

      Class presentations.