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The Happiness Policy Handbook
How to Make Happiness and Well-Being the Purpose of Your Government
Thomas Jefferson said that “the purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness.” Yet only now, 270 years later, is the happiness of citizens starting to be taken seriously as the purpose of government.
While happiness science is advancing rapidly, and governments and organizations are creating indices for measuring happiness, there is little practical information on how to create policy to advance happiness.
Drawing from a deep well of expertise and experience, The Happiness Policy Handbook is the first step-by-step guide for integrating happiness into government policy at all levels. Coverage includes:
A concise background on happiness science, indices and indicators, and happiness in public policy
Tools for formulating happiness policy and integrating happiness into administrative functions
A concept menu of happiness policies
Communicating happiness policy objectives to media and engaging with the community
A happiness policy screening tool for evaluating the happiness contribution of any policy
Policy perspectives from seasoned experts across sectors.
The Happiness Policy Handbook is the essential resource for policymakers and professionals working to integrate happiness and well-being into governmental processes and institutions.
Contributors
Laura Musikanski
Laura Musikanski is executive director of the Happiness Alliance, co-founder of Planet Happiness, and chair of IEEE P7010 — The Well-being Metrics Standard for Autonomous and Intelligent Systems. She is on the editorial board of the International Journal of Community Well-being and author of two books — Sustainability Decoded and How to Account for Sustainability. Laura was an invited participant at the 2012 UN High Level Meeting on Well-being and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm where the Ad-Hoc Global Happiness and Well-being Movement Group, which she leads and coordinates, first convened. She lives in Seattle WA.
Rhonda Phillips
Rhonda Phillips is a community well-being, development, and planning specialist and Dean of Purdue Honors College. She has conduced hand-on research with policy makers, community organizers and academia for over 30 years. She is author or editor of 25 books, including the Handbook of Community Well-being Research. She is co-founder of the Springer journal, International Journal of Community Well-Being and past president of the International Society of Quality-of-Life Studies. Her many awards and honors include three Fulbright awards. Rhonda is a Happiness Alliance Board Member and lives in Lafayette, IN.
Jean Crowder
Jean Crowder served as a member of parliament (MP) in the Canadian government between 2004–2015, and has extensive experience as a policymaker. She worked for Human Resources Development Canada, the British Columbia Ministry of Skills Training and Labour, and was a human resources consultant and manager at Malaspina University College. Crowder is a Happiness Alliance board member and lives in Duncan, BC.