P.11
This map is created by the
Happy Planet Index and shows
the combined scores of life
expectancy, experienced wellbeing and Ecological Footprint.
A good score is shown in green
while a bad score is shown in red.
Unknown data is shown is grey.
the state, such as private schooling,
pension schemes and health insurance
for most people: these are all provided
through the relatively high taxes in
Norway. The cost of living is very high
and thus it may seem that citizen
have less purchasing power. In reality
because of their economy being more
government-centric compared to other
developed economies and the services
provided by their government, they
have less mandatory spending and
are still free to spend their disposable
income as they wish.
Although this is unfair on more skilled
individuals who would receive higher
incomes abroad, for the vast majority
of citizens this leads to a much more
pleasant environment, and the average
levels of happiness they have achieved
is admirable.
are to seek solely overall happiness. In
reality, in extremely capitalist countries
such as the US, this would be near
impossible to implement. This was
implemented in Norway immediately
after the Second World War, so is not
something that could be immediately
or easily implemented in other
countries. Even so, is our emphasis on
standard macroeconomic indicators
misdirected, is it better to focus on
equality or other goals that will
A setup similar to Norway, in which we ultimately benefit the majority?
do promote equality, is the best setup It is difficult to say. There is a justified
so far found to work in practice if we
reluctance to alter the current
capitalist system present in the World’s
largest economies, as it has been so
historically successful compared to
alternative systems. GDP is a good
compromise, as increased incomes will
lead to increased happiness to some
degree. Ultimately it is
up to individuals to
not rely on their
incomes but to
seek their own
prosperity.
*A technique
used to
determine
the relative
values of
different
currencies,
and adjust
the exchange
rate so each
currency can buy
the same quantity of
goods at home.