Happiness and Public Policy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiii

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2. Introduction: Happiness as the Only Ultimate Objective of Public Policy

   1. Introduction: Happiness as the Only Ultimate Objective of Public Policy

      • Yew-Kwang Ng, Lok Sang Ho

      Pages 1-16

3. A Historical Overview of the State of Well-Being of Humanity

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 17-17

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   2. Quality-of-Life in the Modern Society Measured with Happy Life Years

      • Ruut Veenhoven

      Pages 19-44

4. Determinants and Origins of Happiness: The Conceptual Framework

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 45-45

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   2. “The ‘Three Happinesses’ and Public Policy”

      • Lok Sang Ho

      Pages 47-66

   3. Internal and External Determinants of Subjective Well-Being: Review and Policy Implications

      • Ulrich Schimmack

      Pages 67-88

   4. Economics and Happiness Research: Insights from Austrian and Public Choice Economics

      • Christopher J. Coyne, Peter J. Boettke

      Pages 89-105

5. Area and Policy Case Studies

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 107-107

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   2. Do Cigarette Taxes Make Smokers Happier?

      • Jonathan Gruber, Sendhil Mullainathan

      Pages 109-146

   3. Happiness and the Pursuit of a Life Worth Living: An Anthropological Approach

      • Gordon Mathews

      Pages 147-168

   4. Psychological Approaches to the Relationship between Happiness and Public Policy in P.R. China

      • Kan Shi, Xiao Lu Wang, Rui Zheng, Wei Shi, Jia Fang Lu, Hong Xia Fan

      Pages 169-192

   5. Happiness and Development — Public Policy Initiatives in the Kingdom of Bhutan

      • Vijay Kumar Shrotryia

      Pages 193-208

   6. An Exploratory Study of Resilience Among Hong Kong Employees: Ways to Happiness

      • Oi-ling Siu, S. L. Chow, David R. Phillips, Lin Lin

      Pages 209-220

   7. Fun, Fervor or Fitness?: Sporting Cultures and Happiness

      • Brian Bridges

      Pages 221-234

6. Implications and Conclusions

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 235-235

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   2. Public Policy Implications of Behavioral Economics and Happiness Studies

      • Yew-Kwang Ng

      Pages 237-252

7. Back Matter

   Pages 253-260

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Happiness is a private matter and individual pursuit; however, public policy does have an important role and can contribute much through various enabling means. This volume discusses the determinants of happiness and presents case studies of how public policy can help promote happiness.

• China
• development
• economics
• public choice
• public policy
• research
• science and technology

• Nanyang University, Singapore

  Yew-Kwang Ng

• Centre for Public Policy Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

  Lok Sang Ho

PETER J. BOETTKE Professor, Economics Department, George Mason University, USA BRIAN BRIDGES Professor, Department of Politics and Sociology and Director, Center for Asian Pacific Studies, Lingnan University, Hong Kong S.L. CHOW Professor of Psychology, University of Regina, Canada CHRISTOPHER J. COYNE Assistant Professor of Economics, Hampden-Sydney College, Austria HONG-XIA FAN PhD Student, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of Illinois, USA JOHNATHAN GRUBER Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA LIN LIN PhD Candidate, Research Center for the Social and Economic Behaviors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China JIA-FANG LU Assistant Teaching Fellow, Department of Politics and Sociology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong GORDON MATHEWS Associate Professor of Anthropology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SENDHIL MULLAINATHAN Professor of Economics, Harvard University, USA DAVID R. PHILLIPS Chair Professor of Social Policy, Departmentof Politics and Sociology, Lingnan University, Hong Kong KAN SHI Director, Research Center for the Social and Economic Behaviors and Vice President, Chinese Association of Psychology, China OI-LING SIU Professor, Lingnan University, Hong Kong WEI SHI Masters Candidate, Research Center for the Social and Economic Behaviors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China ULRICH SCHIMMACK Associate Professor, University of Toronto, Canada VIJAY KUMAR SHROTYRIA Reader, Department of Commerce, North Eastern Hill University, India RUUT VEENHOVEN Professor of Social Conditions for Human Happiness, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, The Netherlands XIAO-LU WANG PhD Candidate, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China RUI ZHENG Assistant Professor, Social and Economic Behaviors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China.

Policies and ethics