Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction / Philip Booth -- Politicians in a muddle -- GDP or GWB? -- Happiness and government intervention -- Made happy by government or free to pursue happiness? -- pt. ONE GDP OR GWB? -- 2. folly of wellbeing in public policy / Paul Ormerod -- Introduction -- GDP s̀traw man' -- Wellbeing and measures of economic and social progress -- Inherent weaknesses in happiness measures -- relationship between happiness and income revisited -- Controlling economic and social life to ̀promote happiness' -- Conclusion -- References -- 3. Subjective wellbeing, income, economic development and growth / Justin Wolfers -- Introduction -- Main findings -- Background on subjective wellbeing -- Within-country estimates of the satisfaction-income gradient -- International comparisons of satisfaction and income -- Satisfaction and economic growth -- Alternative measures of subjective wellbeing -- Conclusions -- References -- Annexe -- 4. Are more equal countries happier? / Christopher Snowdon -- Happiness is flatlining -- non-relationship' between happiness and equality -- academic literature on happiness and inequality -- Happiness and relative income -- Can we deal with ìncome envy' anyway? -- Attitudes to inequality -- References -- pt. TWO HAPPINESS AND GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION -- 5. Wellbeing at work: any lessons? / J. R. Shackleton -- Objective and subjective measures of wellbeing at work -- Compensating differentials -- Is there a ̀business case' for employer intervention to improve wellbeing? -- Public policy and international comparisons -- Conclusions -- References -- 6. Wellbeing and the size of government / Christian Bjørnskov -- Introduction -- Government ability and incentives -- Main determinants of national happiness -- Government redistribution -- Conclusions -- References -- pt. THREE MADE HAPPY BY GOVERNMENT OR FREE TO PURSUE HAPPINESS? -- 7. unbearable lightness of happiness policy / Marc De Vos -- political rediscovery of happiness -- Measuring happiness measurement -- shallow form of happiness -- Happiness, freedom or justice? -- Poor but happy? -- Conclusion -- References -- 8. Lessons from Austrian and public choice economics for the happiness debate / Christopher J. Coyne -- Introduction -- Conceptual issues -- Practical issues -- Negative unintended consequences -- Concluding remarks -- References -- 9. Happiness is not within the government's remit: the philosophical flaw in happiness economics / Pedro Schwartz -- Layard's utilitarianism -- overriding aim for public policy? -- Happiness as a public good -- justice of the market -- References
