Welfare and well-being: Social value in public policy
Bill Jordan
Abstract
Research on well-being reveals the significance of personal relationships, trust and participation to sustain quality of life, yet it is the economic model that remains the dominant basis for political and social institutions and policy. This book presents a new analysis of well-being in terms of social value, and outlines how it could be incorporated into public policy decisions. It argues that the grandiose attempt to maximise welfare and regulate social relations through contract, in line with the economic theory of information and incentives, is counterproductive for well-being. Instead, b ... More
Research on well-being reveals the significance of personal relationships, trust and participation to sustain quality of life, yet it is the economic model that remains the dominant basis for political and social institutions and policy. This book presents a new analysis of well-being in terms of social value, and outlines how it could be incorporated into public policy decisions. It argues that the grandiose attempt to maximise welfare and regulate social relations through contract, in line with the economic theory of information and incentives, is counterproductive for well-being. Instead, both the quality of personal experience and the restraints necessary for a convivial collective life would be better served by a focus on cultures and institutions.
Keywords:
economic model,
political institutions,
social institutions,
public policy,
personal relationships,
trust,
participation
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2008 |
Print ISBN-13: 9781847420800 |
| Published to Policy Press Scholarship Online: March 2012 |
DOI:10.1332/policypress/9781847420800.001.0001 |
