INFORMEDdebate
YES
Does a country’s
economic prosperity
lead to happiness?
from members:
Stacy Ruffin
Rocky Point, NC
More jobs available
will help people
ensure that they have
money. Money equals
stability, which will
bring happiness.
“LIFE, LIBERTY AND the pursuit of happiness” are rights upon which the
United States of America was built. Still, most countries, including ours,
have focused on economic growth as the primary factor in determining
national well-being.
Some say this should change because economic prosperity does not
necessarily have a bearing on how people perceive the quality of their
lives. They add that governments should put greater emphasis on such
happiness-producing factors as health, social and community vitality, good
governance and ecological vitality.
Critics argue that happiness is a highly subjective concept and that
governments might simply define it in ways that suit their interests. They
say that economic growth is what produces healthier, wealthier, wiser
and happier citizens, and that countries’ economic indicators can be
objectively measured and compared.
What do you think?
Patrick Sinden
Dewey, AZ
When a country’s
economy is strong,
there are more
opportunities for the
population for greater
economic individual success.
Juliette C. Tom
Honolulu, HI
Without economic
growth, people cannot buy goods and
prosper.
NO
from members:
Mike Enslow
Salt Lake City, UT
I have spent three-
plus years living in
Third World countries,
and virtually all of the
people I interacted
with were happier than the
average American citizen.
Tisha Anderson
Lakeway, TX
Happiness, health and
emotional well-being
come from within.
Find out more about this topic on the Web:
•
www.actionforhappiness.org/
•
http://bpp.wharton.upenn.edu/betseys/papers/Happiness.pdf
•
www.pewglobal.org (Search “happiness is increasing but why”)
PHOTODISC
•
www.economist.com (Search “Should governments pursue happiness
rather than economic growth”)
Michael J. Divoky
Memphis, TN
Happiness comes
from the little things
that happen every
day, and choosing
to see them in a
positive light.
