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

Author: (Switzerland) Frey, (Switzerland) Stutzer, translated by Jing Ye
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 establishes an empirical connection between economics and happiness, as well as 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 micro and macroeconomic environments, as reflected in forms such as income, unemployment, and inflation, influence happiness. — China Reading News
For over a century, Peking University, renowned as China's highest academic institution, 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 renowned scholars and professors who have made significant contributions to their respective fields. They have academic culture and produced influential works in 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 Imperial University, the Grand Council's draft "Regulations for the Imperial University" explicitly proposed in Section 5 to establish a Translation Bureau, gathering Chinese and Western experts 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. That same April, Zhang Baixi, the Imperial University's Minister of Education, recommended Yan Fu, a Hubei Vice Director with a deep understanding of Western languages and solid knowledge of Chinese, as the Director of the Translation Bureau, while also appointing Lin Shu as a compiler. That year, the Imperial University 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 Tongwen Guan, marked the beginning of Peking University's comprehensive translation of foreign books and publishing activities, as well as the start of university publishing in China. 1902 was the year of the founding of 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. This book establishes an empirical connection between economics and happiness, as well as 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 micro and macroeconomic environments, as reflected in forms such as income, unemployment, and inflation, influence happiness. The book primarily uses Switzerland as its research base, as the impact of political and economic factors on the degree of direct democracy among its states can be separated. They found that the more developed the democratic mechanisms and autonomy, the higher people's satisfaction with life. While increases in income can only marginally enhance personal happiness, institutions can increase individuals' political participation. Such effects are more substantial. Happiness and Economics applies econometric methods to analyze widely concerned issues and draws unusual conclusions, while also sparking beneficial debates in the field of sociology.