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Los Angeles Times:
How much are we willing to pay for the pursuit of happiness?

3 November 2013

As Radcliff put it in a CNN op-ed: ''The 'nanny state' works.'' Statistics bear him out. In the 2013 World Happiness Report, published by the UN and compiled by Jeffrey D. Sachs of Columbia University and colleagues from the London School of Economics and the University of British Columbia, four of the top five rankings are occupied by Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Sweden, all countries with strong social programs. The U.S. ranks 17th, suggesting that Americans are happy, just not as happy as they could be. Where the U.S. tends to fall short of the leaders is in measurements of social support, ''freedom to make life choices'', healthy life expectancy and perceptions of corruption.

This article was published in the LA Times on November 3, 2013
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Also in
6 November 2013
Denver Post
Hiltzik: How much are we willing to pay for the pursuit of happiness?

Related publications
World Happiness Report 2013, John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey D. Sachs (Eds), 2nd Report from the Earth Institute, Columbia University, September 2013
Details

Related links
Richard Layard webpage
Wellbeing Programme webpage

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