Is everybody happy? The politics and measurement of national wellbeing

Michael Tomlinson, Grace Kelly

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

34 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This article explores the political and intellectual influences behind the growth of interest in happiness and the emergence of the new 'science of happiness'. It offers a critique of the use of subjective wellbeing indicators within indexes of social and economic progress, and argues that the proposed United Kingdom's National Well-being Index is over-reliant on subjective measures. We conclude by arguing that the mainstreaming of happiness indicators reflects and supports the emergence of 'behavioural social policy'.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)139-157
Number of pages19
JournalPolicy & Politics
Volume41
Issue number2
Early online date13 Feb 2013
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Apr 2013

Keywords

  • happiness - subjective wellbeing - inequality - social indicators

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • Public Administration
  • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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