Aside from overall welfare, equity, that is, the distribution of welfare  amongst the population is a key concern of public policy. Recently, much of the debate has centered around the impact of global economic integration, increased competition and the transition to postindustrial and service-based economies in some of the world’s advanced nations on patterns of distribution in many societies. Many contributions have taken a rather critical stance, arguing that we are in an era of growing social inequality within and between societies. Respective empirical investigations have conventionally analyzed variables of income distribution to support this claim. In a recent article, Ruut Veenhoven (2005), a renowned scholar in the field of happiness research,  has called this pessimistic view into question. He argues, that analyzing the dispersion of self-rated happiness in advanced societies instead of material wealth, one finds no support for a U-turn towards greater inequality – rather the opposite: in terms of subjective well-being we are doing better all the time. 

In this essay for my third-year class “Social Inequality”, I briefly summarize Veenhoven’s argument and move on to critically review his work. Reflections on the concept and measurability of happiness are offered and some political implications are discussed.

Please find below the complete essay available for download.