Can We—and Should We—Measure Well-Being
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9255724 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mark D White (0000-0002-1431-0339, College of Staten Island, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2013 |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 526-533 |
| Publication date | 2013-12-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Review of Social Economy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0034-6764 • E-ISSN: 1470-1162 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00346764.2013.840432 |
| OpenAlex | W2032303144 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 13 |
In this article, I argue that recent criticisms of happiness research in economics can be extended to any conception of well-being used for scientific or policymaking purposes. These criticisms are both practical and ethical: well-being is not only impossible to define, measure, or implement, but its use also offends human dignity through unjust distribution of harm and value substitution. On this basis, I recommend the abandonment of welfare economics and urge social economists to propose new approaches to addressing social problems that are more focused and respect the dignity of persons
Abandonment (legal) · Dignity · Economics · Epistemology · Happiness · Harm · Law and economics · Measure (data warehouse) · Political science · Positive economics · Public economics · Sociology · Value (mathematics) · Welfare · Well-being · Computer Science · Economic Theory and Institutions · Income, Poverty, and Inequality · Law · Mathematics · Philosophy · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Psychology · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.25 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2014 - 2023 (10) |
| Highly cited | No |