Happiness Index Unit 1

8/13/2019 Happiness Index Unit 1

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International Development Research Centre;

the United Nations Development Programme

(UNDP)Thimphu; the Canadian International

Development Agency; GPI-Atlantic, the

province of Nova Scotia; the French-American

Charitable Trust, (deeply committed for the

cause of happiness).


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HI is offering a more rational(sane,

intelligent, reasonable) and human approach

to development:

First, HI stands for the holistic needs of the

human individual - both physical and mentalwell being. It reasons that while material

development measures, contribute, to

enhancing physical well-being, the state ofmind which is perhaps, more important than

the body, is not conditioned by material

circumstances alone.


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Second, is that HI seeks to promote a

conscious, inner search for happiness and

requisite skills which must harmonize with

beneficial management and development of

outer circumstances.


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Third, it supports the notion that happiness

pursued and realised within the context of

the greater good of society offers the best

possibility for the sustained happiness of the

individual. It may be emphasized that the

society as a whole cannot obtain happiness ifindividuals compete irresponsibly for it. HI

stresses collective happiness to be addressed

directly through public policies in whichhappiness becomes an explicit criterion in

development projects and programmes.


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Fourth, as happiness is the most common

yearning (strong desire) of the electorate both

individually and collectively and as it

transcends (to go beyond, to surpass)

ideological values, public policies based on HI

will be far less arbitrary (based on ones own

whims) than those based on standardeconomic tools.


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HI indicators include both objective and

subjective dimensions of life.

The nine dimensions were selected on

normative(standard average level) grounds, and

have equal weightage, because each dimension

is considered to be relatively equal, in terms ofequal intrinsic importance as a component of

happiness.

The construction of an index should give equalweight to both the functional aspects of human

society as well as the emotive side of human

experience.


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Psychological The domain of psychological well-being includes

satisfaction with all elements of life, life enjoyment

and subjective well-being. It is of primary

importance in gauging the success of the state in

providing appropriate policies and services.

Indicators of the psychological well-being -- generalpsychological distress rate, prevalence rates of both

negative emotions (jealousy, frustration, selfishness)

and positive emotions (generosity, compassion,

calmness), spiritual activities like meditation andprayers, and consideration of karmic effects in daily

life were calculated. Happiness is a subjectively

(personal) felt public good.


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Time Use

The domain of time use is one of the most effectivewindows on quality of life, as it analyzes the nature

of time spent within a 24-hour period, as well asactivities that occupy longer periods of time.

The time available for non-work activities such assleeping, personal care, community participation,

education and learning, religious activities, socialand cultural activities, sports and leisure and travelcan directly indicate diversity of activities that addto rich life and contribute to levels of happiness.

Measurement of time, devoted unpaid workactivities like care of children and sick members ofhousehold, and maintenance of household, canprovide of contribution made by unpaid activities towelfare.


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Community Vitality

The domain of community vitality focuses on

the strengths and weaknesses of relationships

and interactions within communities. It

examines the nature of trust, belongingness,vitality of caring relationships, safety in home

and community, and giving and volunteering.


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The community vitality indicators

consists of:

Family vitality indicator,

Safety indicator,

Reciprocity indicator, Trust indicator,

Social support indicator,

Socialization indicator, and Kinship density indicator.


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Culture

Maintenance of cultural traditions has beenprimary policy goals, as traditions and culturaldiversity contributes to identity, values, andcreativity. The indicators of cultural diversity and

resilience (elasticity)consist of: Dialect use indicator,

Traditional sports indicator,

Community festival indicator,

Artisan skill indicator,

Value transmission indicator, and


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Health The health indicators assess the health status of the

population. Health status indicators show information onself-rated health, disabilities, body mass index, and

number of healthy days per month. Health indicators also

cover the prevalence of knowledge about HIV

transmission and breast feeding practices. Lastly, barrierto health services are assessed in terms of walking

distance to the nearest health facility, which includes both

western and indigenous systems. Thus the health index

consists of:

Health status indicator,

Health knowledge indicator, and

Barrier to health indicator.


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Education

Education contributes to the knowledge, values,creativity, skills, and civic sensibility ofcitizens. The effectiveness of education inworking towards the goal of collective well-being

is assessed. The domain of education looks at anumber of factors: participation, skills, amongothers. However, in the education index, a limitednumber of variables could be included. The

education index consists of: Education attainment indicator,

Folk and historical literacy indicator.


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Ecological Diversity and Resilience

Conservation of Environment- environment isthe lifeline of human existence. it bestows on

free, wholesome foods, medicines, pleasure and

a host of essential materials. Even the

development of our finer senses depends on our

regular, access to natural environment.

Ecological degradation indicator,

Ecological knowledge indicator, and

Afforestation indicator.


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Living Standard

The domain of living standards covers the basic

economic status of the people. The indicators

assess the levels of income at the individual and

household levels, sense of financial security,

room ratio, food security, house ownership. Income indicator,

Housing indicator,

Food security indicator, and

Hardship indicator.


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Good Governance

The domain of good governance evaluates how

people perceive various government functions in

terms of their efficacy, honesty, and quality

Government performance indicator,

Freedom indicator, and

Institutional trust indicator.


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Conclusion HI is a balanced and holistic approach to development.

converge on happiness as a collective goal.

That happiness is an indicator of good development

and good society

Science of the mind is about managing feelings andemotions.

Happiness blossoms through enhanced

relationships.

Enlightening the inner self or human nature became a

far greater task than taming nature and manipulating

the world for personal or even national gain.

Documents

Happiness Index Unit 1