TY - BOOK AU - Radcliff,Benjamin TI - The Political Economy of Human Happiness: How Voters' Choices Determine the Quality of Life SN - 9781139344371 (ebook) AV - HB846.8 .R33 2013 U1 - 302/.13072 23 PY - 2013/// CY - Cambridge PB - Cambridge University Press KW - Social choice KW - Quality of life KW - Right and left (Political science) N1 - Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 04 Apr 2016) N2 - Data, methods and theories of contemporary social science can be applied to resolve how political outcomes in democratic societies determine the quality of life that citizens experience. Radcliff seeks to provide an objective answer to the debate between left and right over what public policies best contribute to people leading positive and rewarding lives. Radcliff offers an empirical answer, relying on the same canons of reason and evidence required of any other issue amenable to study through social-scientific means. The analysis focuses on the consequences of three specific political issues: the welfare state and the general size of government, labor organization, and state efforts to protect workers and consumers through economic regulation. The results indicate that in each instance, the program of the Left best contributes to citizens leading more satisfying lives and, critically, that the benefits of greater happiness accrue to everyone in society, rich and poor alike UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139344371 ER -