RICHARD LAYARD: are governments keeping you unhappy?

Richard Layard's "Happiness, Lessons from the New Science" explores the science of happiness and its implications for government policies. Layard examines various factors influencing happiness, including economic conditions, social relationships, and mental health. The book argues for a shift in government priorities, advocating for policies that promote well-being rather than solely focusing on economic growth. Layard's work has significantly influenced discussions on happiness economics and the role of governments in improving citizens' lives. The book provides practical recommendations for governments and individuals to enhance happiness and well-being.

In 'A Theory of Justice,' John Rawls develops a moral theory of justice as fairness, which is an alternative to utilitarianism. The theory is based on the social contract approach and uses the concept of the original position and the veil of ignorance to derive two principles of justice. The first principle, the greatest equal liberty principle, ensures that each person has an equal right to the most extensive total system of equal basic liberties compatible with a similar system of liberty for all. The second principle, which includes the difference principle and the equal opportunity principle, states that social and economic inequalities are to be arranged so that they are to the greatest benefit of the least advantaged and attached to offices and positions open to all under conditions of fair equality of opportunity. Rawls's theory aims to reconcile liberty and equality in a well-ordered society.