Well-being, Happiness, and Public Policy

 Sabine Alkire
Research Paper: 37a – January 2013
Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative

Available online PDF [55p.] at: http://bit.ly/UZMn1s

“……This Background Paper for the International Expert Working Group (IEWG) for a New Development Paradigm outlines the concept of well-being, flourishing, and happiness for all, which forms the objective of a new development paradigm.

It seeks to synthesise for busy readers how the Expert Working Group IEWG might explain and defend well-being and happiness, and also what value-added this work has in policy terms. The paper draws upon philosophical traditions to propose how the Gross National Happiness index GNH concept of having nine domains of well-being can be shared in an international context.