Happiness and Economics (The Impact of Economics and Institutions on Human Well-being)

Author: (Switzerland) Frey, (Switzerland) Stattler, translated by Jingye
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-08-01
Features: The discipline of economics is closely related to human happiness, but economists rarely incorporate research on "happiness" into their work. "Happiness" is often regarded by them as a "non-scientific" concept. This book is a work that establishes empirical connections between economics and happiness, and between happiness and democracy. The two respected economists integrate findings and unique insights from psychology, sociology, and political science into their research. The authors argue in the book that the micro and macroeconomic environment, as reflected in forms such as income, unemployment, and inflation, affects happiness. —China Daily
For over a century, Peking University, renowned as China's top institution of learning, has been closely linked to the development of scientific education and academic culture in China. With its profound cultural heritage, rigorous academic tradition, open academic environment, and extensive international exchanges, Peking University has nurtured generations of distinguished scholars and professors who have made significant contributions to their respective fields. They have steadfastly upheld academic and cultural positions, leaving behind works that have had a far-reaching impact on the history of Chinese academic culture. Similarly, Peking University scholars have made immeasurable contributions to the translation of foreign academic culture. In June 1898, even before the planning of the Imperial University of Peking, the Imperial Household Department proposed in the fifth section of the "Regulations for the Imperial University of Peking" to establish a Translation Bureau, where "Chinese and Western experts would be gathered to specialize in compilation and translation." In January 1902, Emperor Guangxu issued an edict merging the Tongwen Guan, founded in 1862 and originally under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, into the Imperial University of Peking. That same April, Zhang Baixi, the Imperial University of Peking's supervisor, recommended Yan Fu, a Zhili deputy who was proficient in Western languages and had a solid foundation in Chinese, to serve as the director of the Translation Bureau, while also appointing Lin Shu as a compiler. That year, the Imperial University of Peking also established a Book Compilation Office, appointing Li Xisheng as its chief compiler. The establishment of the Translation Bureau and Book Compilation Office, along with the merger of the Tongwen Guan, marked the beginning of the Imperial University of Peking's comprehensive translation of foreign books and engagement in publishing activities, as well as the start of university publishing in China. 1902 was the year of the founding of the Peking University Press.
The discipline of economics is closely related to human happiness, but economists have never incorporated research on "happiness," which they often regard as a "non-scientific" concept, into their work. This book is a work that establishes empirical connections between economics and happiness, and between happiness and democracy. The two respected economists integrate findings and unique insights from psychology, sociology, and political science into their research. The authors confirm the direct correlation between unemployment, inflation, and misfortune, thereby arguing that the micro and macroeconomic environment, as reflected in forms such as income, unemployment, and inflation, affects happiness. The book primarily takes Switzerland as its research base, as the influence of political and economic factors on the degree of direct democracy among its states can be disentangled. They found that the more developed the democratic mechanisms and autonomy, the higher people's satisfaction with life. While an increase in income can only marginally enhance individual happiness, institutions can enhance political participation. Such effects are more substantive. Happiness and Economics uses econometric methods to analyze widely concerned issues and draws unusual conclusions, while also sparking fruitful debates in the field of sociology.