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Happiness economics as technocracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2020

RAMANDEEP SINGH  and
ANNA ALEXANDROVA
RAMANDEEP SINGH*
Affiliation:
Department of Land Economy, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
ANNA ALEXANDROVA
Affiliation:
Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
*
*Correspondence to: King's College, King's Parade, Cambridge, CB2 1ST, UK. Email: rs647@cam.ac.uk
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Abstract

Happiness economics as advocated by Frijters et al. makes three assumptions: that policy should be based on facts about the net effect of a factor on happiness; that wellbeing policy should be technocratic and centralized; and that the only credible objections come from critics who do not value happiness. We argue that all three should be rejected and that the science and policy of wellbeing should instead be pluralistic, context-sensitive and participatory.

Type
Articles
Information
Behavioural Public Policy , Volume 4 , Special Issue 2: On Happiness Being the Goal of Government , July 2020 , pp. 236 - 244
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2020

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