Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Review
Author(s): Andrew Clark
Review by: Andrew Clark
Source: Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 50, No. 3 (SEPTEMBER 2012), pp. 803-804
Published by: American Economic Association
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23270483
Accessed: 24-11-2015 09:47 UTC
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Book Reviews
References
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Health,
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oj Amsterdam
and Welfare
Education,
An Economy
of Happiness:
of Well
Graham.
Focus
By Carol
Brookings
Institution
D.C.:
Brookings
Washington,
Pursuit
Being.
Books.
book
and
Focus
book
of interest
series
to a broad
by Carol
Graham
presents
economics
a number
aims
to present
This
audience.
contributes
of topics
to this
in the
of well-being.
into five chapters,
each of
which has extensive
endnotes.
The first previews
of the issues that will appear
later in the
a number
burgeoning
The book
is divided
data
can
the central
point
to the
add
that happiness
of individual
understanding
and
well-being
provided
by the analysis of income
revealed
preferences.
2 attempts
to set out what we mean by
Chapter
A broad
distinction
is made
between
happiness.
to change
one's life) and contentment.
called
the Aristotelian
and Benthamite
are
of happiness,
often refers
the
although
to Eudaimonic
being,
respectively.
of hedonic
question,
or Cantril's
Most
academic
and
surveys
on
These
views
literature
Hedonic
ask
well
some
kind
satisfaction,
happiness,
life" (ladder)
possible
question.
in the empirical
is the
literature
and capability,
on the
meaning
"best
An open
question
to which
degree
one hand,
and happiness,
related.
}. S. Mill's happy
on
the
other,
are
cor
that these
pig suggests
but in practice
be
synonyms;
they could
It is however
that
possible
closely matched.
are
not
quite
at
acquiring
agency
may lead to lower happiness,
least in the short run. As such, potentially
valuable
and
long-run
policies
may be initially disruptive,
individuals
too
certainly
dislike
uncertainty.
Equally,
may reduce
any incentive
there are a number
of intrigu
Overall,
is not
the development
here, although
much
happiness
for action.
ing points
always particularly
easy to follow.
is on surer ground
Carol
Graham
the World,
on Happiness
around
on
Veelen
makes
and
book,
912-15.
(7105):
and Samuel
Bowles.
2007.
"The
Choi, Jung-Kyoo,
Coevolution
of Parochial
Altruism and War." Sci
level
803
in chapter
3,
which
draws
some
Oxford
University
parts of her recent
book
of the same
name.
Much
research
Press
concerned
has
don't
people
live
but
most
countries;
developed
in developed
countries.
Cross
reveals
analysis
country
empirical
the happiness
correlates
are very
. . . but not all of them.
countries
the effect
may be
relative
of labor-force
more
choice
to developing
that
similar
some
of
across
In particular,
that there
suggests
in this respect
in developed
this is a
countries.
Overall,
status
useful
when
we
history of what happens
to individuals
well-being
questions
in very disparate
countries.
4 deals
with adaptation
and
social
Chapter
potted
identical
ask
If either
then
it is
comparisons.
pertain,
to
know
how
much
X
an
individual
enough
to
evaluate
know
how
have
(social
individual
their
not
has
we also
need
to
well-being;
X others in the reference
group
or how much
X the
comparisons),
much
used
to have
in the past
This content downloaded from 14.139.244.174 on Tue, 24 Nov 2015 09:47:43 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
(adaptation).
Journal of Economic
804
At least
two
useful
do
frank: research
results
frequently
quite
walk in step with each
other, and we really
what
don't know what is going on. That is indeed
are bought
out here.
points
on the
of adaptation
First,
depends
speed
under
consideration.
phenomenon
Although
evidence
remains
individuals
seem
to
sketchy,
often
to crime
and to corruption,
whereas
adapt
they
do not adapt
to freedom.
individuals
Further,
cover
is one rea
to uncertainty
(which
adapt
inter
son why crises reduce
so
much,
well-being
The
second
is that it can be rather
diffi
alia).
sometimes
the
do
not
cult
to be
a utilitarian
Are
unhappy
in these
circumstances.
rich
that
we
don't
need
to worry about
it any more?
incarnations
of Sen's happy
slaves
wan
Various
this chapter.
der freely throughout
The last chapter
briefly refers to Gross National
versus
Happiness
GNP
out
progress,
starting
cism that some
economic
to the
to
kind
HDI,
of society
alternatives
The
live.
(2)
Various
discussed
measures
respect
cess.
This
the
has
writing
middle
uneasy
and
doubtful
Clapham
be
of each,
2
as chapter
as well as the
not
ground
terms
of
reference
it could
been
be
argued
suc
unqualified
to the difficulty
an
witness
book"
between
of
that
treads
academic
the
treatise
its medium-brow
remit,
there
is some
techie
of
to appeal
to it as a one-stop-shop
activity over the past ten or so years.
students
who wonder
just what it is that
able
Graham's
For
"Happiness
it is surely
and whether
ably
quite
Economists"
(a
terrible
term,
but
are up to,
late to change
it now)
it is of any use, this is however
argu
The
tone
is
a useful
of work.
piece
too
times
not
do
the
the answers
works
so in another,
is often
may well
country
of causality
discussion
and our interaction
absent,
feels
tectonic:
long
by serious
to speak)
were
followed
(so
of research
the representation
to dissuade
interested
students
in this book
made
from contributing
the potential
for dis
area:
it is precisely
it so attractive.
that
somewhat
makes
be
In the
in this
that Carol
respect
but undoubtedly
fragmented,
works the best.
Paris
Labor
Economy
Efraim
Cambridge
School
and Demographic
the
and
Migration
In
in one
frighteningly
sometimes
Psychology
of
misleading
periods
quiet
I would
clashes.
be unhappy
ate, book
results,
field.
the
with
covery
may well
of poor
weight
contradictory
of how I see the
Economics,
what
of a patchy
some
evolving,
like a regularity,
and
analysis,
is a truthful rendition
Happiness
and dried:
sense
under
collapsing
bad
data,
The
continually
what looks
passion
Policy
and
Sadka,
and
London:
Clark
of Economics
Economics
State:
Welfare
Formation.
it
end,
Graham's
Andrew
amount
and a certain
of
language
area would
seem
of the general
prior knowledge
On the other hand,
academics
to be presumed.
will
of knowledge,
into
accreting
preference
man
self-help
pseudo-scientific
is no guarantee
that the man in the
will be able to read this book.
omnibus
There
Despite
rather
direction,
series,
bears
surely
a "happiness
of
ual.
to
Focus
Brookings'
that this book
is like.
of research
(4)
in terms of
knowledge
are
reviewed
here.
want,
"should"
the
the
in our
lacunae
a society
With
(3)
(1)
a lot
scores.
well-being
of the latter are available,
but
are
not
to the
criti
established
and
accounts,
numerous
the
list accounts,
objective
satisfaction
of societal
as a measure
from
2012)
Political
Assaf
By
Benjarong
MIT
Press,
Razin,
Suwankiri.
2011.
Pp.
on
are
tortion
arguably
that besets
variety of studies
tion in barriers
welfare
and
benefits
Winters
the
international
of
mobility
the
dis
single
largest
policy
A
international
economy.
that
even
a
small
reduc
suggest
to migration
will result in large
the
to the global
Pritchett
2003;
economy
2006).
(Walmsley
Nevertheless,
immigration
very recently
until
as being responsible.
However,
there has been very little analytical
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All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions