The Politics of Happiness

The Politics of Happiness
Author: Derek Bok
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2011-09-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 069115256X

Download The Politics of Happiness Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Describes the principal findings of happiness researchers, assesses the strengths and weaknesses of such research, and looks at how governments could use results when formulating policies to improve the lives of citizens.

Politics of Happiness

Politics of Happiness
Author: Ross Abbinnett
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2013-02-14
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1441176209

Download Politics of Happiness Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

This unique and engaging study argues that the Western concern with achieving happiness should be understood in terms of its relationship to the political ideologies that have emerged since the Enlightenment. To do so, each chapter examines the place that happiness occupies in the construction of ideologies that have formed the political terrain of the West, including liberalism, postmodernism, socialism, fascism, and religion. Throughout, Hegel's phenomenology, Nietzsche's genealogy, and Derrida's account of deconstruction as reactions to modernization are used to show that the politics of happiness are always a clash of fundamental ideas of belonging, overcoming, and ethical responsibility. Stressing that the concept of happiness lies at the foundation of political movements, the book also looks at its place in the current global order, analyzing the emergence of such ideas as affective democracy that challenge the conventional notions of privatized, acquisitive happiness. Written in a clear manner, the work will appeal to political theory students and researchers looking for a critical and historical account of contemporary debates about the nature of happiness and ideology.

Happiness, Economics and Politics

Happiness, Economics and Politics
Author: Amitava Krishna Dutt
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
Total Pages: 373
Release: 2009-01-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1849801975

Download Happiness, Economics and Politics Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

For those already drawn by the allure of happiness studies, Dutt and Radcliff here provide a rich tour of the frontier in the field. And for curmudgeons, this work goes far to defuse the skeptical reflex. It is subtle, intelligent, wide-ranging, informative and even readable throughout. James K. Galbraith, The University of Texas at Austin, US This timely and important book presents a unique study of happiness from both economic and political perspectives. It offers an overview of contemporary research on the emergent field of happiness studies and contains contributions by some of the leading figures in the field. General issues such as the history and conceptualization of happiness are explored, and the underpinning theories and empirics analyzed. The ways in which economic and political factors both separately and interactively affect the quality of human life are examined, illustrating the importance of a self-consciously multi-disciplinary approach to the field. In particular, the effects of consumption, income growth, inequality, discrimination, democracy, the nature of government policies, and labor organization on happiness are scrutinized. In conclusion, the contributors prescribe what can and should be done at individual and societal levels to improve human well-being and happiness. This wide-ranging and interdisciplinary book makes a unique contribution to the literature. As such, it will prove a fascinating read for students and scholars of economics, political science, psychology, sociology, and of course, to those with a special interest in the analysis of happiness and human well-being.

Mourning Happiness

Mourning Happiness
Author: Vivasvan Soni
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2010
Genre: Enlightenment
ISBN: 9780801448171

Download Mourning Happiness Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

"A work of rare scope and power that grapples with the big questions: Is happiness the proper end of life, as the Greeks conceived it to be, or is life, as it appears since the early English novel, an endless trial?"--Adam Potkay

The Happiness Industry

The Happiness Industry
Author: William Davies
Publisher: Verso Books
Total Pages: 323
Release: 2015-05-12
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1781688478

Download The Happiness Industry Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

“Deeply researched and pithily argued.” —New York Magazine “A brilliant, and sometimes eerie, dissection” of ‘the science of happiness’ and the modern-day commercialization of our most private emotions (Vice) Why are we so obsessed with measuring happiness? In winter 2014, a Tibetan monk lectured the world leaders gathered at Davos on the importance of Happiness. The recent DSM-5, the manual of all diagnosable mental illnesses, for the first time included shyness and grief as treatable diseases. Happiness has become the biggest idea of our age, a new religion dedicated to well-being. Here, political economist William Davies shows how this philosophy, first pronounced by Jeremy Bentham in the 1780s, has dominated the political debates that have delivered neoliberalism. From a history of business strategies of how to get the best out of employees, to the increased level of surveillance measuring every aspect of our lives; from why experts prefer to measure the chemical in the brain than ask you how you are feeling, to why Freakonomics tells us less about the way people behave than expected, The Happiness Industry is an essential guide to the marketization of modern life. Davies shows that the science of happiness is less a science than an extension of hyper-capitalism.

The Political Economy of Human Happiness

The Political Economy of Human Happiness
Author: Benjamin Radcliff
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2013-03-25
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1107030846

Download The Political Economy of Human Happiness Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Data, methods and theories of contemporary social science can be applied to resolve how political outcomes in democratic societies determine the quality of life that citizens experience. Radcliff seeks to provide an objective answer to the debate between left and right over what public policies best contribute to people leading positive and rewarding lives. Radcliff offers an empirical answer, relying on the same canons of reason and evidence required of any other issue amenable to study through social-scientific means. The analysis focuses on the consequences of three specific political issues: the welfare state and the general size of government, labor organization, and state efforts to protect workers and consumers through economic regulation. The results indicate that in each instance, the program of the Left best contributes to citizens leading more satisfying lives and, critically, that the benefits of greater happiness accrue to everyone in society, rich and poor alike.

The Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of Happiness
Author: Bianca C. Williams
Publisher: Duke University Press
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2018-02-08
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0822372134

Download The Pursuit of Happiness Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

In The Pursuit of Happiness Bianca C. Williams traces the experiences of African American women as they travel to Jamaica, where they address the perils and disappointments of American racism by looking for intimacy, happiness, and a connection to their racial identities. Through their encounters with Jamaican online communities and their participation in trips organized by Girlfriend Tours International, the women construct notions of racial, sexual, and emotional belonging by forming relationships with Jamaican men and other "girlfriends." These relationships allow the women to exercise agency and find happiness in ways that resist the damaging intersections of racism and patriarchy in the United States. However, while the women require a spiritual and virtual connection to Jamaica in order to live happily in the United States, their notion of happiness relies on travel, which requires leveraging their national privilege as American citizens. Williams's theorization of "emotional transnationalism" and the construction of affect across diasporic distance attends to the connections between race, gender, and affect while highlighting how affective relationships mark nationalized and gendered power differentials within the African diaspora.

The Pursuit of Happiness in Times of War

The Pursuit of Happiness in Times of War
Author: Carl M. Cannon
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 342
Release: 2005-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 146161421X

Download The Pursuit of Happiness in Times of War Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The Founders wrote in 1776 that "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" are unalienable American rights. In The Pursuit of Happiness in Times of War, Carl M. Cannon shows how this single phrase is one of almost unbelievable historical power. It was this rich rhetorical vein that New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and President George W. Bush tapped into after 9/11 when they urged Americans to go to ballgames, to shop, to do things that made them happy even in the face of unrivaled horror. From the Revolutionary War to the current War on Terrorism, Americans have lived out this creed. They have been helped in this effort by their elected leaders, who in times of war inevitably hark back to Jefferson's soaring language. If the former Gotham mayor and the current president had perfect pitch in the days after September 11, so too have American presidents and other leaders throughout our nation's history. In this book, Mr. Cannon—a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist—traces the roots of Jefferson's powerful phrase and explores how it has been embraced by wartime presidents for two centuries. Mr. Cannon draws on original research at presidential libraries and interviews with Gerald R. Ford, Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, among others. He discussed with the presidents exactly what the phrase means to them. Mr. Cannon charts how Americans' understanding of the pursuit of happiness has changed through the years as the nation itself has changed. In the end, America's political leaders have all come to the same conclusion as its spiritual leaders: True happiness—either for a nation or an individual—does not come from conquest or fortune or even from the attainment of freedom itself. It comes in the pursuit of happiness for the benefit of others. This may be one truth that contemporary liberals and conservatives can agree on. John McCain and Jimmy Carter both envision happiness as a sacrifice to a higher calling, embodied in everything from McCain's time as a prisoner of war to the N

Summary: The Politics of Happiness

Summary: The Politics of Happiness
Author: BusinessNews Publishing,
Publisher: Primento
Total Pages: 20
Release: 2017-01-30
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 2511002418

Download Summary: The Politics of Happiness Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

The must-read summary of Derek Bok's book: “The Politics of Happiness: What Government Can Learn from the New Research on Well-Being”. This complete summary of "The Politics of Happiness" by Derek Bok, an American lawyer and former president of Harvard University, presents his examination of research on happiness and illustrates how government policy on equality, growth, education, health care and mental health could foster greater satisfaction and improve well-being for all. Added-value of this summary: • Save time • Understand how happiness affects various countries • Expand your knowledge of politics and psychology To learn more, read "The Politics of Happiness" and discover how government policy can be used effectively to improve well-being and happiness across the nation.

Happiness Is a Choice You Make

Happiness Is a Choice You Make
Author: John Leland
Publisher: Sarah Crichton Books
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2018-01-23
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 0374717052

Download Happiness Is a Choice You Make Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A New York Times Bestseller! An extraordinary look at what it means to grow old and a heartening guide to well-being, Happiness Is a Choice You Make weaves together the stories and wisdom of six New Yorkers who number among the “oldest old”— those eighty-five and up. In 2015, when the award-winning journalist John Leland set out on behalf of The New York Times to meet members of America’s fastest-growing age group, he anticipated learning of challenges, of loneliness, and of the deterioration of body, mind, and quality of life. But the elders he met took him in an entirely different direction. Despite disparate backgrounds and circumstances, they each lived with a surprising lightness and contentment. The reality Leland encountered upended contemporary notions of aging, revealing the late stages of life as unexpectedly rich and the elderly as incomparably wise. Happiness Is a Choice You Make is an enduring collection of lessons that emphasizes, above all, the extraordinary influence we wield over the quality of our lives. With humility, heart, and wit, Leland has crafted a sophisticated and necessary reflection on how to “live better”—informed by those who have mastered the art.