Pour être heureux, faisons la guerre ! Une critique de l'économie du bonheur

Christophe Salvat ()
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Christophe Salvat: CGGG - Centre Gilles-Gaston Granger - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

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Abstract: Since 2012, the United Nations has published the World Happiness Report (WHR) each year, ranking countries based on the level of happiness reported by their inhabitants. This article aims to present the main findings and shortcomings of this type of survey, as well as of happiness economics more broadly. Particular attention is given to the historical evolution of how happiness has been taken into account in political and economic thought, and to the challenges posed by the measurement of subjective well-being. After examining the main limitations of self-assessment questionnaires—especially the so-called Cantril ladder used in the WHR—and analyzing some of the anomalies observed in the rankings in recent years, I conclude that, despite their interest, using such rankings as a basis for public decision-making—or even as a simple social benchmark—can prove to be as risky as it is counterproductive.

Keywords: Cantril ladder; happiness; happiness studies; GDP; Easterlin paradox; PIB; paradoxe d'Easterlin; échelle de Cantril Happiness; science du bonheur; Bonheur (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-05162824v1
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Published in La revue juridique du bonheur, 2024, 6, pp.51 - 66

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-05162824

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