Can money buy happiness? Is income a reliable measure for life satisfaction? In the West after World War II, happiness seemed inextricably connected to prosperity. Beginning in the 1960s, however, other values began to gain ground: peace, political participation, civil rights, environmentalism. " Happiness economics" - a somewhat incongruous-sounding branch of what has been called " the dismal science" - has taken up the puzzle of what makes people happy, conducting elaborate surveys in which people are asked to quantify their satisfaction with " life in general." In this book, three economists explore the happiness-prosperity connection, investigating how economists measure life satisfaction and well-being.
"This book helps to overcome the outdated economists way of thinking that postulates More is Better than Less. The authors do that in a substantial way, showing alternatives to this materialistic view, making their book a fascinating experience to read." - Bruno S. Frey, Senior Professor of Political Economy, Zeppelin University, Germany; author of Happiness: A Revolution in Economics