OECD looks to compare happiness across nations
24 May 2011 | The Wall Street Journal
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) is turning to private citizens, not
economists or think tanks, to help it figure out how to measure
happiness.
As part of events marking its 50th anniversary this week, the
Paris-based organization is taking on a perennial conundrum: What
gauges, beyond economic output, best reflect a people's standard of
living and well-being? (Read a related article.)
It's something of a departure for the organization, which
promotes economic cooperation and growth among leading and
developed countries.
On Tuesday, the OECD launched its "Your Better Life Index," an
interactive gauge with which individuals can customize their
measures of the good life, and see how different countries stack
up.
The benchmarks, which can be calculated for all 34 member OECD
countries, fall into 11 areas: housing, income, jobs, community,
education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction,
safety and work-life balance.
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Tags:
Politics of Happiness