杏吧论坛

Dr Christian Krekel

This course is compulsory on the MSc in Behavioural Science. This course is available on the MSc in Environmental Policy, Technology and Health (Environmental Economics and Climate Change) (杏吧论坛 and Peking University), MSc in Organisational and Social Psychology, MSc in Psychology of Economic Life, MSc in Social and Cultural Psychology and MSc in Social and Public Communication. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

This course (or its dissertation equivalent) is compulsory on the Wellbeing Specialism of the MSc in Behavioural Science.

This course aims to introduce students to the main concepts and tools of wellbeing for policy-making, with a focus on applicability in policies across all sectors (government, business, and NGOs). To achieve this aim, the course is based on ten lectures covering: 1) wellbeing theories and frameworks; 2) empirical evidence on the causes and consequences of wellbeing; 3) the importance of measurement and survey design; 4) data and methods for wellbeing policy analysis; 5) wellbeing policy analysis versus policy analysis using preferences; 6) wellbeing policy appraisal and evaluation; 7) wellbeing interventions; 8) embedding wellbeing into policy; 9) paternalism; 10) wellbeing as the goal?

10 hours of lectures and 10 hours of seminars in the LT.

Students will participate in a mock presentation of the presentation (pitch) that will be part of the summative assignment, to be held in LT.

Books

• Adler, M. A., & Fleurbaey, M. (2016). The Oxford Handbook of Well-Being and Public Policy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Clark, A. E., Flèche, S., Layard, R., Powdthavee, N., & Ward, G. (2018). The Origins of Happiness: The Science of Well-Being over the Life Course. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
• Frijters, P., & Krekel, C. (2021). A Handbook for Wellbeing Policy-Making. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Layard, R. (2020). Can We Be Happier? Evidence and Ethics. London: Penguin.

Journal articles

• Benjamin, D. J., Heffetz, O., Kimball, M. S., & Rees-Jones, A. (2014). What Do You Think Would