This week chinadialogue is running a series on well-being, happiness and alternative measures of social progress.
Opening the series, Tang Hao asks “How do we make China happy?” And deputy editor Sam Geall talks to environmental lawyer Cormac Cullinan, who has drafted the Universal Declaration of the Rights of Mother Earth – placing the planet at the centre of global jurisprudence.
Later in the week we feature contributions from eminent economists Hu Angang and Tim Jackson and green pioneer Jonathon Porritt, all of whom delve deeper into the political and economic implications of well-being.
Paul Ormerod offers an interesting counterpoint – arguing that indicators of societal happiness might actually be worse than traditional measures like GDP. While a piece on Bhutan — land of Gross National Happiness — illustrates the complexity of actually implementing policies based on improving wellbeing.
And Viki Johnson and Karl Gerth take a look at infinite hamsters and fat Chinese.
Meanwhile, here in the chinadialogue London office, new policies have been implemented to improve our own wellbeing – these mainly involve editor Isabel Hilton providing the team with M&M’s and subsidised Kindles.
By the end of the week we hope you’ll be happier. If not, Isabel will be round with more M&M’s.