Happiness: What to Measure?
Global Knowledge 2011 is a special issue about happiness.
What is the most appropriate measure for a nation’s success? For years it used to be gross domestic product (GDP). Of course, GDP is still widely used, but there is a growing awareness that GDP is measuring economic production only and that this is not enough to account for the full wealth of a nation – especially when we consider that a nation is indeed made up by its citizens.
The time is ripe to shift from measuring economic production to measuring people’s wellbeing, as stated by professors Joseph E. Stiglitz and Amartya Sen (Report by the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress, 2008).
Some 20 years ago, the UNDP’s first Human Development Report emerged. At the time the report was considered radical, as it included not only national income in order to measure development, but also life expectancy and literacy.
In 2010 the yearly report included three additional measures: inequality, gender disparities and extreme deprivation.
In recent years we have experienced several ‘new’ global challenges, with the environmental and financial crises as the most obvious examples. Under such trying and uncertain circumstances, what should be the compass of real progress? The Happy Planet Index is one initiative to gauge ‘what truly matters to us’, incorporating not only what matters to you and me, but also what matters to our planet. What we should measure, and indeed how, is disputed, as is the question of why.
Sure, happiness is often regarded as a private matter, and indeed it is. Still, evidence shows that there is a lot countries can do to improve – or indeed worsen – its residents’ quality of life. The United Kingdom and countries such as France and Canada seem to be experiencing a political shift these days. Leaders are asking researchers to measure people’s wellbeing – ostensibly in order to place the results at the heart of future policy-making. This may turn out to be a silent revolution in governance.
In this issue of Global Knowledge we set out to highlight some of the delicate issues concerning the connection between state governance and individual wellbeing. We hope you will enjoy the magazine.