The level of happiness and quality of life in a society, before being the product of individual efforts or purely psychological perspectives, arises from the political decisions and economic structures we choose for living alongside one another.
Life and Thought
Benjamin Radcliff was an American thinker and professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame whose research focused on measuring the relationship between politics, economics, and the quality of human life. His seminal work, the book The Political Economy of Human Happiness, empirically examines the effects of public policies and the welfare state on life satisfaction.
Benjamin Radcliff was a prominent researcher and professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame in the United States. He was considered a pioneer in the interdisciplinary study of political science, economics, and the psychology of well-being, focusing his research on the fundamental question of how economic-political structures and policies affect the real happiness and life satisfaction of human beings.
In his works, particularly in his landmark book The Political Economy of Human Happiness, published by Cambridge University Press, Radcliff used extensive international data to show that societies with the highest levels of quality of life and happiness are those with stronger democratic institutions, more active labor unions, and more cohesive social welfare systems. His research challenged traditional neoliberal views on the free market and happiness, advocating for the protective role of the state against the structural pressures of the market.
Bibliography
Writings and transcribed lectures1 title
The Political Economy of Human Happiness
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