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Happiness has no index
By Lin Xianyu |
March 7, 2011, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
IN denouncing a GDP cult (reckless pursuit of economic growth), China should avoid another form of cult: blind worship of the so-called "Happiness Index."
It's not either this or that. The fall of a GDP cult does not mean a necessary rise of gross national happiness. If we worshipped gross national happiness the way we worship GDP, you can bet the new index would still be manipulated to boost official achievements.
We must also realize that it's unlikely any gross national happiness index would always improve.
There will always be a gap between popular hopes and hard reality.
Lin Xianyu, CPPCC member and former deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics
It's not either this or that. The fall of a GDP cult does not mean a necessary rise of gross national happiness. If we worshipped gross national happiness the way we worship GDP, you can bet the new index would still be manipulated to boost official achievements.
We must also realize that it's unlikely any gross national happiness index would always improve.
There will always be a gap between popular hopes and hard reality.
Lin Xianyu, CPPCC member and former deputy director of the National Bureau of Statistics
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