Abstract Do people who live in more developed and wealthier countries find more happiness than people in lesser developed countries? This paper analyzes the results of happiness between two sets of countries that fall on opposite sides of the industrialization and democratization scale. The results show that people between the two sets of countries are equally happy. It also shows that people in both sets of countries also are equally likely to be happy when finding things like family or friends important. As it turns out, happiness has little to do with GDP or wealth income of one’s country. In the second part of the study, happiness does not change much as a country industrializes. The author explores the point to industrialization and democratizing given one of the main goals of government should be happiness of their people. Review of the Literature It is a generally accepted idea that when countries industrialize, they improve living conditions for everyone in the country most importantly the rural poor. Britian was the first country to industrialize over a century ago, now each country that wishes to follow Britian’s example must use more state intervention. Resources and workers must be moved from rural agriculture to urban life in factories. This theory is known as the Gerschenkronian collective dillema and suggests that countries should want to industrialize and do it quickly with government coercion. Along with more state intervention in the domestic markets, industrialization also includes opening up a countries markets to international free trade. Theories introduced centuries ago by Adam Smith and other neoclassical economists state that countries will be able to increase wealth and gross do... ... middle of paper ... ... of Gandhi. This speech reflects some of the views of Gandhi, himself, such as the lack of need for material items. Overall, this speech illuminates the idea that people must find inner happiness and rely less of the material world around them to get by. http://www.prosperity.com/#!/ (prosperity index) This post talks about the different countries they have analyzed throughout the years. They use a “prosperity index” by Legatum Institute to figure out and rank the different countries in the world. This index ranks countries according to economy, health, personal freedom and etc. The index shows that small countries like (Norway) can be small and not so developed but have very happy people. It goes to show that happiness is not attained by working more hours but by having more hours with close friends and family. http://www.worldvaluessurvey.org/wvs.jsp
According to Forbes, a site that consists of the world happiest countries, countries like Norway favor freedom, fair health, education, and political systems. The general welfare, rank high in the happiness rate whereas countries like Chad, Congo, Central African Republic, Afghanistan, and Yemen. Who only focus on individual needs showing that they have one of the lowest happiness rates due to them showing greedy behaviors or having no proper education. So, did the happiness rate go up when people from nowadays preferred general welfare than the individual needs? Yes, because general welfare which provides freedom, peace, health system, education, etc.make people delighted. General welfare is more important for a democratic government to
Even though industrialization benefited and progressed society in both Germany and Japan it was impossible for all levels of the political hierarchy to benefit equally. After all it is the “fundamental role of the state as an institution in the capitalist world economy to augment the advantage of some against others in the market.” (Wallerstein, 3). The government has the complete ability to control who benefits from the capitalist market. The two classes that generally benefited from the prosperity of the capitalist market during industrialization were the middle and upper classes. More specifical...
Although the Industrial Revolution contributed to life in Great Britain in both positive and negative ways, the origin of the industrialized society bestowed the foundation for the modern world. Contributing to life in Britain by making products and goods more affordable to common citizens and boosting the national economy, the growth of industrialization had an overall upbeat effect on the historical past. Equally, the renovated social class divisions altered the existing layout of ancient civilizations. Seeing that industrialization was benefiting Great Britain, many other countries soon began to replicate the prosperous routine. Industrial developments in the United States and continental Europe were inspired by the booming success of industrialization in relationship to Great Britain’s economy, political state, and social class divisions.
Wilkinson and Pickett draw on a broad range of elements such as, health and wealth, income, mental well being and homicide in order to make their argument. They measure health and happiness in relation to people’s income and they find that in every society rich people on average tend to be happier and healthier than poorer people in the same societies
Industrialization was a period of rapid expansion in the 19th and 20th century for the United States and had a profound effect on the country. Although there was much success across the country, such as massive population growth and manual labor becoming easier, the negative effects of industrialization outweigh the positives.
One reason described to be a cause of happiness is income. Don Peck and Ross Douthat indicate how, “National income appears to be one of the best single predictors of overall well-being, explaining perhaps 40 percent of the difference in contentment among nations” (352). With this statement, comes the explanation of how income can influence happiness in adults who strive to earn a living. Research illustrates how, “For individual countries, with few exceptions, self-reported happiness has increased as incomes have risen” (Douthat 352). While these two statements provide sufficient evidence for the reason of income bringing happiness, income itself is not relevant.
When discussing industrialization much of what is discussed occurs during the industrial revolution. Unlike other revolutions which mostly impacted borders, territorial expansions, change in political regimes, etc., the Industrial revolution was change of a different sort. Occurring mostly within America and Europe, the Industrial Revolution impacted society as a whole by introducing innovations which impact the way one generally lives on a day-to-day basis. New machinery, methods, and techniques of producing goods such as the way clothes are made, or the way waste is produced changed the way society functioned. Overall, the Industrial Revolution improved quality of life. Initially, however such rapid change also caused human suffering of a
The aims of this paper are to evaluate the effects the Industrial Revolution had on the wider world. This essay will be assessing the impact of technology and innovation on employment of the era, and how the factory system gave rise to socialism. In addition, it will be evaluating how the Industrial Revolution was the precursor to the phenomenon of consumerism and the resulting globalization.
The industrialization era is one of the most important and wonderful events that have occurred in the past 400 years. Industrialization has had an over all ripple effect upon the world. “Industrialization led to a better quality of life for most people” (Beck, 723). While it may seem to some that Industrialization only impacted Great Britain, it is actually true that industrialization many characteristics and consequences that had a worldwide impact. Industrialization had its up’s and down’s such as economic prosperity, jobs, and innovation. On the downside, unhealthy working conditions, pollution, and child labor issues.
Although changing some factors, such as attitude and money, is believed to have a major effect on an individual’s happiness, other factors like social class have a larger impact.
The Politics of Happiness: what government can learn from the new research on well-being. Princeton University Press, 2010. Print. Bok takes a look at both the qualities and shortcomings of happiness researchers. He then takes a gander at the suggestions for monetary development, balance, retirement, unemployment, human services, emotional instability, family projects, instruction, and government quality, among different subjects. Bok believes that the Politics of Happiness reveals insight into what makes individuals upbeat and the key part government policy could play in encouraging fulfillment and prosperity. This source is useful because it offers a political view on happiness which is important because as citizens of the United Stated we are effected by public policy. It gives my argument a better position since I had never considered the vital role that government policy played in happiness, I was more so focusing on personal
What is happiness, and how can and should we achieve it? The answer to this is something that humans have been trying to figure out since the beginning of time. We all experience happiness in our lives. What I have researched is how much our governments and world leaders are in control of our lifespan and happiness. Elected and unelected officials have an undeniably large role in all of our lives, all over the world. My goal was to study how much effect they have on our happiness/lifespan, and how their influence can be improved. I believe that happiness is something that we are all entitled to, regardless of our countless differences. Our governments
A movement of industrialization transformed nations everywhere. Many countries experienced social and economic prosperity in this period known as the Industrial Revolution. The people of these countries also experienced change (Jacob, par. 1-5). Prior to the revolution, life for many was much different, allowing for many changes to occur; innovations reached several countries involved in this movement, and the lives of the citizens were largely impacted both positively and negatively.
What is happiness? According to the dictionary, happiness is a mental or emotional state of positive or pleasant emotions. Now think closely, what does happiness mean to you? Many people say money can’t buy you happiness, some people say it can. People say, “How can you not be happy when you have a ton of money?” But people also say, “Having too much money can get in the way of happiness.” To me money is just green paper that lets you buy things you want and need. But can this green paper really buy you happiness? After reading this paper of mine, think about the question again and what do you believe is true.
Industrialization is the process in which a society transforms itself from an agricultural society, farming, to a society based on manufacturing goods and services, using machinery. The Industrial Revolution acquired a colossal impact on societies, making forceful changes in the lives of individuals, and changing the social classes drastically, but not all classes benefited equally. Those who were lucky enough to be business owners or had the opportunity to obtain a better profession, were able to enjoy leisure time and comfort in many ways. Those who were uneducated and were limited to unskilled labor work, remained at the bottom of the economic ladder. Furthermore, the two classes that benefited from the Industrial Revolution were the “upper” and “middle” class, leaving the “lower” class to be the only one who suffers. In other words, the rich got richer, the middle class grew, and the poor remained poor. The deeper the Industrial Revolution grew, the more powerful the “upper” and “middle” class became. To remain at the top of the social ladder, the upper class had to continue being the wealthiest and most powerful.