The political economy of human happiness : how voters' choices determine the quality of life / Benjamin Radcliff, University of Notre Dame.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-198) and index.

Acknowledgments; Introduction; The Plan of the Book; A Preview of Findings and Conclusions; 1 The Democratic Pursuit of Happiness; The Birth of Modern Ideologies; James Madison and the Conservative Impulse; Jefferson, Paine, and the Dawn of the Left; A Revolution Deferred; 2 Market Democracy; Civilization, Surplus, and Social Class; Liberal Democracy and the Market Society; The Democratic Class Struggle; The Welfare State; Social Rights and Market Regulation; Conclusion; 3 Citizens or Market Participants?; In Defense of the Market; The Grand Argument for the Market Economy.

Arguments Against the Welfare StateIn Defense of Social Democracy; The Critique of Market Efficiency; The Grand Argument for Social Democracy; Other Arguments for Social Democracy; The Market Promotes Anomie and Imposes the Resulting Costs on Society; Which Argument is Empirically Correct?; 4 The Scientific Study of Happiness; The Meaning of Happiness; Measuring Happiness; Validity; Reliability; Comparability Across Countries; Summary Assessment of Measurement Issues; Theories of Happiness; Happiness Is Determined by the Provision of Human Needs; Set-Point Theory.

Personality Traits and Subjective Well-Being (SWB)Social Comparison Theory; Determinants of Happiness; Does Happiness Have Correlates?; Individual-Level Determinants of Happiness; National-Level Determinants of Happiness; Conclusion; 5 The Size of the State; Public Policy and Human Needs; The Welfare State Reduces Poverty and Generally Increases Living Standards; The Welfare State Reduces the Insecurity Inherent in the Market System; The Welfare States Reduces the Social Pathologies that Accompany Poverty and Insecurity; The Welfare State Promotes Agency.

Conceptualizing and Measuring the Size of the StateData and Method; Individual-Level Analysis; Aggregate Analysis; Results; National and Group Means; Conclusion; Appendix: Details and Objections; Reverse Causality; Testing for Robustness; Exceptions to the Pattern?; The Endogeneity of Politics and Economics: Considering the Indirect Effects of the Welfare State on Happiness via its Negative Consequences for the Economy; 6 Labor Unions and Economic Regulation; Labor Market Regulation; Labor Organization; Analysis; Labor Market Regulation; Labor Unions; Conclusion; 7 The American States.

Happiness and the Study of Politics in the American StatesData and Method; Control Variables; Political Variables; Results; Public Policy; Labor Unions; Conclusion; 8 Between Market and Morality; Implications for the Study of Life Satisfaction; A Prescription for the Human Condition: Treating Commodification as a Social Pathology; Markets and the Pursuit of Happiness; A Coda: How to Make Human Life as Satisfying as Possible; References; Index.

"This book is devoted to applying the data, methods, and theories of contemporary social science to the question of how political outcomes in democratic societies determine the quality of life that citizens experience. Benjamin Radcliff seeks to provide an objective answer to the perennial debate between Left and Right over what public policies best contribute to human beings leading positive and rewarding lives. The book thus offers an empirical answer to this perpetual question, relying on the same canons of reason and evidence required of any other issue amenable to study through social-scientific means. The analysis focuses on the consequences of three specific political issues: the welfare state and the general size of government, labor organization, and state efforts to protect workers and consumers through economic regulation. The results indicate that in each instance, the program of the Left best contributes to citizens leading more satisfying lives, and, critically, that the benefits of greater happiness accrue to everyone in society, rich and poor alike"-- Provided by publisher

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