The launch today of the Action for Happiness organisation promotes yet again the old canard that material prosperity does not … Continue reading “The renewed folly of the Economics of Happiness”

Polly Toynbee has argued recently that the explicit pursuit of wellbeing by government would lead to policy choices that were diametrically … Continue reading “Polly Toynbee should move from the Guardian to the National Review”

There are lies, damned lies, and, the saying goes, statistics. And then there are statistical claims made by Polly Toynbee. … Continue reading “Does Polly Toynbee increase the nation’s aggregate happiness?”

David Willetts defended the government’s decision to spend my money finding out what makes me happy in The Times today … Continue reading “Our economic, private and social choices reveal what improves our wellbeing”

Economists have known for a long time that GDP is an imperfect measure of the overall well-being of a country. … Continue reading “Government’s “happiness index” should be treated with caution”