Adaptive Preferences and Capabilities: Some Preliminary Conceptual Explorations

The Capability Approach (CA) as developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, has in part been a response to the problem of adaptive preferences. Their argument says that people might adapt to certain unfavorable circumstances and any self-evaluation in terms of satisfaction or happiness will in this case necessarily be distorted. To evaluate people's well-being in terms of functionings and capabilities guarantees a more objective picture of people's life. Next to this strong criticism on subjective measurements of well-being, we observe an increasing interest in Subjective Well-Being (SWB) or Happiness studies that are included in the broader field of Hedonic Psychology. In this paper, we thus revise the original critique of adaptive preferences and compare it with a more detailed analysis of adaptation as it is presented in hedonic psychology. It becomes clear that adaptation can be a positive as well as a negative phenomenon and that the adaptive preference critique had a particular narrow view on adaptation. However, this does not mean SWB-research is not any longer susceptible to this critique. An alternative way to assess people's subjective well-being, but which could be considered to be more in line with the CA, is proposed by Daniel Kahneman's Objective Happiness. These are all relatively new considerations, especially in economics. Therefore much more research needs to be done on the positive and negative aspects of adaptation to understand its consequences on well-being – especially when evaluated within the capability-space.     

Money,exchange and division of labour in Rousseau's economic philosophy

Abstract

This paper examines the arguments advanced by Rousseau to explain his rejection of monetary exchange. First we show that the rejection of money as mean of exchange expresses a dismissal of any form of exchange, motivated by a need for independence. In Julie, the community of Clarens exemplifies an autarchic, paternalistic economy that is at once unequal and deceptive. To understand why Rousseau chose such a downbeat solution to the problems arising from the organisation of the division of labour, we make a parallel between the economic and amatory themes, showing in each case the dependence upon others produced by the development of amour-propre.     

The Influence of Travel Motives on Visitor Happiness Attending a Wedding Expo

Events are an important motivator in travel and tourism, therefore contributing to related benefits at the tourism destination. This study presents the findings of a structural equation model used to investigate the factors that motivate visitors attending a Wedding Expo and how these travel motives influence their happiness. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to visitors attending the Wedding Expo in Johannesburg, South Africa. The data from 375 (N) eligible questionnaires was captured and analyzed using SPSS. From the study’s findings, managerial recommendations were made with the aim of maximising the happiness of visitors attending the Wedding Expo. The study found that satisfaction with life and happiness of visitors attending a Wedding Expo is enhanced more by the event’s attributes/attractiveness and enhancement of kinship/relationship than by the event’s novelty. The research contributes to the literature related to events management, happiness, and marketing management in tourism.     

经济增长与幸福不同步的经济学分析

在评析幸福与经济发展关系相关研究的基础上,指出目前的研究存在两个方面的缺陷：一是低估了经济发展中的幸福含量,二是没有建立相应的经济学框架来解释经济发展与幸福增长的非同步性。于是,在对幸福进行界定和阐释的基础上,基于经济发展史的维度,具体分析了持续的经济增长现象本身所蕴含的幸福含量,并得出持续增加的GDP中的幸福含量被低估的结论。既然GDP中的幸福含量并不低,那么肯定是有原因导致了经济增长与幸福增长的不同步,应该是经济增长过程中的负外部性增加超过经济增长所带来的幸福含量的增加。在拓展外部性概念的基础上,既建构了分析幸福不等于GDP的经济学框架,也具体分析了影响幸福的诸因素并建立了幸福函数。     

论教师的幸福感

幸福的教师比不幸福的教师能够带给学生更多的快乐和成功。而教师的生活是否幸福，取决于教师是否拥有求知的快乐、爱的快乐和游戏的快乐。求知、爱和游戏三者一起构成教师的幸福感的源头。本文拟从三方面展开讨论，人通过求知而智慧；爱别人比被人爱更幸福；游戏让人因轻松而拥有自己的自由人格和独立精神。教师职业尤其需要求知、爱别人、闲暇与游戏。     

高中生主观幸福感与体育锻炼的关系研究

采用PARS—3、GQOLI量表对高中生体育锻炼与主观幸福感进行测量分析，得知中等强度的体育锻炼使学生主观幸福感最强，对提高中学生的身心健康水平，使之养成自觉锻炼的习惯，十分重要。     

新生代农民工的收入对幸福感的影响研究——以武汉市为例

基于对武汉市新生代农民工的抽样调查结果,运用单因素分析方法,研究了收入对新生代农民工幸福感的影响。发现绝对收入对新生代农民工的幸福感有着显著影响,并没有出现"收入-幸福悖论";而且相对收入越高,大体上看幸福感也越强。在实证研究结果的基础上,从收入角度出发,提出了提高新生代农民工幸福感水平的政策建议。     

Travelling ‘green’: is tourists' happiness at stake?

Several western governments have implemented environmental policies which increase the cost of air travel. Such policies aim to reduce the impact of air travel on climate change, but at the same time they restrict tourists in their travels. This study examines the extent to which the average tourist's happiness is affected by ‘involuntary green travel’, defined as reduced CO₂ emission travel imposed by government regulations. This issue was addressed in a study among 588 Dutch citizens who completed a self-report questionnaire containing questions about their happiness. The strongest determinant of tourists' happiness is freedom in choosing a destination. Any policy measure that interferes with tourists' freedom in destination choice will negatively affect tourists' happiness. Six percent of their happiness is at stake and potentially 17% of all holiday trips are affected. The number of tourists involved is possibly much smaller. The best options for governments are to impose taxes on long-haul destinations, which affect only a small share of all tourists, and air routes which can also be travelled by a variety of alternative modes of transport and thus less limiting to destination choice within this market segment.     

基于幸福干预观点的校友工作H_2O路径

研究结合积极心理学、管理学理论和问卷调查数据,从幸福干预角度剖析了校友工作,提炼出做好校友工作的H2O("幸福"、"帮助"和"一"三词英语组合缩写)路径,以增进校友幸福(Happiness)为工作目标,设计了帮助(Help)校友提高幸福感的措施,并阐述了其中应遵循的一(One)字原则,为改善校友工作提出建议。     

闲暇如何影响经济增长?——幸福感与经济效率关系的理论研究与仿真模拟

文章以闲暇促进效用(幸福感)的提升为线索,以闲暇对经济效率的积极作用为基础,构建内生增长模型展开分析。结果显示,长期增长率由闲暇的跨期替代弹性和边际效率增长率决定。前者表征闲暇对生产是替代的还是互补的,后者代表闲暇对效率的动态作用。文章还对此结论做了数值仿真,结果显示,当闲暇对效率的作用为负时,如果其他条件不变,经济最终收敛或出现衰退。文章最后在对不同情形下闲暇对内生增长的作用进行总结和分析的基础上,提出努力推动国民的闲暇活动具有积极健康的内涵,有利于提高经济效率和幸福感,进而促进经济的持续增长。