Economics and Happiness

This book is the first of its kind to provide a comprehensive overview of happiness in Economics. Although it is comparatively unusual to put happiness and economics together the association appears increasingly exciting and fruitful. A number of studies have been produced following Richard Easterlins and Tibor Scitovskys pioneering works throughout the 1970s. The essays collected in this book provide an authoritative and comprehensive assessment both theoretical applied and partly experimental of the whole field moving from the so-called paradoxes of happiness in Economics. The book breaks new ground particularly on the more recent directions of research on happiness well-being interpersonal relations and reciprocity. The meaning of happiness is thoroughly explored and the tension between a hedonic-subjective idea of happiness and a eudaimonic-objective one is discussed.This volume opens with Richard Easterlins own assessment of the main issues. Other authors include Robert H. Frank Robert Sugden Bruno S. Frey Alois Stutzer Richard Layard Martha C. Nussbaum Matt Matravers Bernard M.S van Praag Oded Stark You Q. Wang Ruut Veenhoven Charlotte Phelps Stefano Zamagni and Luigi Pasinetti.