The Illusion of Well-Being Economic Policymaking Based on Respect and Responsiveness

The use of measures of economic output to guide policymaking has been criticized for decades because of their weak ties to human well-being. Recently, many scholars and politicians have called for measures of happiness or subjective well-being to be used to guide policy in people's true interests.

In The Illusion of Well-Being, Mark D. White explains why using happiness as a tool for policymaking is misguided and unethical. Happiness is too vague a term to define, and too general a concept, to measure in a way that captures people's true feelings. He extends this critique to well-being in general and concludes that no measure of well-being can do justice to people's true interests, which are complex, multifaceted, and subjective.

White suggests instead that policymaking be conducted according to respect and responsiveness, promoting the true interests of citizens while addressing their real needs, and devoting government resources to where they can do the most good.

Mark D. White is Professor in the Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy at the College of Staten Island/CUNY, where he teaches courses in economics, philosophy, and law. He has authored dozens of journal articles and book chapters in the intersections between these fields, and has edited or co-edited a number of books on the subjects, including Ethics and Economics: New Perspectives (with Irene Staveren, 2009), Theoretical Foundations of Law and Economics (2009), The Thief of Time: Philosophical Essays on Procrastination (with Chrisoula Andreou, 2010), and Accepting the Invisible Hand (2010).

Part 1. The Problems with Happiness

Part 2. The Problems with Well-Being

Part 3. An Alternative to Well-Being: Interests

Part 4. A Guide to Policy That Respects Choice and Interests