Human%20needs,%20Happiness%20and%20Sustainability

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Human needs, Happiness and Sustainability

• The role of markets and participatory democracy

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Announcements

• CALS students, May 13 deadline
• Richard Aplin Scholarship Fund
• Charles Dana and Edith Bennett Scholarship
• Richard Holzer Memorial Scholarship Fund
• NAFTA course in Guadalajara next January

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What is the goal of sustainable community
development?

• A high quality of life for this and future
  generations?
• How do we define quality of life?
• Happiness/satisfaction with life?
• Our ability to satisfy our needs and wants
• Assumption is that this requires the 4 capitals

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Quality of Life fulfillment of basic Human Needs
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What institutions will fulfill our needs and make
us happy?

• Markets?
• Participatory democratic processes?

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The Smile Factor

• Who are the happiest/most satisfied people in the
  world?
• Are Americans getting happier over time?
• Then what is the justification for consuming 25
  of the worlds resources?

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Human Development Index
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What makes people happy?

• Money?
• (Not very, and only relative wealth once basic
  needs are met)
• Desiring less
• The aspiration gap
• Friends
• Marriage
• Religion/community
• Helping others
• Getting old
• Keeping lists of things for which youre grateful

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What makes people unhappy?

• Pursuit of material gainyoung adults who focus
  on money, image and fame tend to be more
  depressed, have less enthusiasm for life and
  suffer more physical symptoms such as headaches
  and sore throats than others.
• Comparing yourself with others
• Status is a never-ending tread-mill

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So what should our policy priorities be?

• From a happiness perspective, a government's
  priorities should be to reduce unemployment and
  job insecurity, improve mental healthcare,
  encourage direct democracy and discourage the
  pursuit of status
• All of these are extremely compatible with
  sustainability
• Why are our current priorities so different?

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Information and Preferences

• Where do we get our information in a market
  economy?
• What is advertised?
• What impact does this have on our preferences and
  policy priorities?

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Impacts on happiness and QOL

• Is Advertising likely to make people happy or
  unhappy?
• What is its impact on quality of life?

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How does the status treadmill affect happiness?

• Whats the impact of economic growth on status?
• On ecosystem services?
• Whats the net effect?

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Information and preferences in a Participatory
Democracy

• Where would we get our information in a
  participatory democracy?
• What impact would this have on preferences and
  policy priorities?
• On happiness?
• On quality of life?

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Is Sustainability a Sacrifice?
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How do you use this knowledge?