Bestuurskunde

Boekbespreking

De overheid is een geluksmachine

Trefwoorden happiness, government, policy, public policy, well-being
Auteurs Ad Bergsma en Jeroen Boelhouwer
Auteursinformatie

Ad Bergsma
Ad Bergsma is psycholoog en spreker, en verbonden aan de Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation (EHERO) van de Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam.

Jeroen Boelhouwer
Jeroen Boelhouwer is onderzoeker bij het Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau.
  • Samenvatting

      This article is a critical review of four books: Bok, 2010 (‘The politics of happiness’); Van Campen, Bergsma, Boelhouwer, Boerefijn, & Bolier, 2012 (‘Sturen op geluk’); Diener, Lucas, Schimmack, & Helliwell, 2009 (‘Well-being for public policy’); Ott, 2012 (‘An eye on happiness’). Based on these works, we conclude that the quality of government is highly correlated with the happiness of citizens. In countries with high levels of freedom (economic, democracy, press), low levels of corruption and good public services, people appear to be the happiest. In this way governments can be seen as ‘happiness machines’. However, precise causal relationships need to be further clarified; which policies do improve happiness and which don’t? In this context, education is an important area in which government plays a role; people should leave school with the right set of competencies to be able to adequately cope with life. Governments cannot solve everybody’s unhappiness, though, but are important for creating the right circumstances.

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