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Social Interactions, Rationality and Happiness

Starting from the assumption that well-being depends not only on private goods' consumption, but also on the satisfaction of relational needs, this section focuses on the role of social interactions and social capital in improving people's quality of life and in affecting the agents' behaviour.
Suggested readings address topics like the building of new paradigms of rationality (taking into the appropriate account the agents' social needs), the relational dimension of economic action, and the theoretical analysis of the environmental and social determinants of subjective well-being.
Empirical investigations on such topics are collected in the section devoted to Empirical studies on the social determinants of well-being.
This page is under construction: comments and suggestions are welcome.

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Essential Readings

• Bruni, L. (2004), A History of Happiness in Economics, London and New York, Routledge.

• Diener, E., Suh, E.M. (2000), Culture and Subjective Well-Being, Cambridge, Ma, MIT Press.

• Frey, B.S. (1997), Not Just for the Money: An Economic Theory of Personal Motivation, Cheltenham, Edward Elgar.

• Frey, B.S., Stutzer, A. (2003), What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?, Forthcoming in the Journal of Economic Literature.

• Gui, B. (2000), Beyond Transactions: On the Interpersonal Dimension of Economic Reality, in Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, 71, 2, 139-169.

• Heliwell, J. (2001), Social Capital, The Economy and Well-Being, The Review of Economic Performance and Progress, 01-3, 43-60.

• Helliwell, J., Putnam, R.D. (2004), The Social Context of Well-Being, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society (London), Series B, 359: 1435-1446 (31 August 2004).

• Hollis, M. (1998), Trust Within Reason, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

• Kahneman, D., Diener, E., Schwartz, N. (eds) (1999), Well-Being : The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology, New York, Russel Sage Foundation.

• Sabatini, Fabio (2008), "Social Capital and the Quality of Economic Development", Kyklos, Vol. 61, Issue 3, 466-499.

• Sudgen, R. (2000), Team Preferences, Economics and Philosophy, n. 16, pp.175-204.

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Further Readings

• Adriani, F., Becchetti, L. (2003), The Paradox of Unhappiness of Socially Responsible Consumer and the Welfare Effects of the Creation of a Fair Trade Market, Paper presented at the Conference The Paradoxes of Happiness in Economics, 21-23 March 2003 Department of Economics, University of Milano-Bicocca.

• Ahuvia, A.C. (2002), Individualism/Collectivism and Cultures of Happiness: A Theoretical Conjecture on the Relationship between Consumption, Culture and Subjective Well-Being at the National Level, Journal of Happiness Studies
3 (1): 23-36, 2002.

• Alkire, S., Daneulin, S. (1999), Individual motivation, its nature, determinants and consequences for within group behavior, presented at the conference on “Institutions, Groups and Development”, Helsinki, 9-11th September 1999.

• Antoci, A., Borghesi, S. (2000), Working Too Much in a Polluted World: A North-South Evolutionary Model, Quaderni del Dipartimento di Economia Politica, Università degli Studi di Siena, n. 334.

• Argyle, M. (1999), Causes and Correlates of Happiness, in Kahneman, D., Diener, E., Schwartz, N. (eds), Well-Being : The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology, New York, Russel Sage Foundation.

• Ash, C. (1999), Social-Self-Interest, Reading University Business School Working Paper No. 396, Vol. XI (1998/1999).

• Battaglini, M., Bénabou, R., Tirole, J. (2003), Self-Control in Peer Groups, forhtcoming in the Journal of Economic Theory.

• Bénabou, R., Tirole, J. (2001), Self-Knowledge and Self-Regulation: An Economic Approach, in Brocas, I. and Carillo, J. (eds), The Psychology of Economic Decisions: Volume One: Rationality and Well-Being, Oxford, Oxford University Press.

• Bénabou, R., Tirole, J. (2003), Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation, Review of Economic Studies, 70(3) (2003), 489-520.

• Bénabou, R., Tirole, J. (2004), Belief in a Just World and Redistributive Politics, Princeton University and Institut d’Economie Industrielle, mimeo.

• Bénabou, R., Tirole, J. (2005), Incentives and Prosocial Behavior, IZA Discussion Paper No. 1695, Institute for the Study of Labour.

• Bloch, F., Genicot, G., Ray, D. (2005), Informal Insurance in Social Networks, Georgetown University, mimeo.

• Bosco, L. (2005), Happiness, Social Preferences and Economic Policy, Working Paper No. 459, University of Siena, Department of Economics.

• Bruni, L. (2000), Ego Facing Alter: How Economists have Depicted Human Interactions, Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Vol. 71, Issue 2, Page 285.

• Bruni, L. (2002), Felicità e Scienza Economica. Storia, problemi aperti e spunti teorici, Working Paper No. 48, Dipartimento di Economia Politica, Università di Milano "Bicocca".

• Bruni, L. (2002), Hic Sunt Leones. The Missing Link of Interpersonal Relationships in the Tradition of Economics, Department of Economics, University of Milano Bicocca.

• Bruni, L. (2002), L’economia e i paradossi della felicità, in P.L. Sacco e S. Zamagni (a cura di), Complessità relazionale e comportamento economico. Materiali per un nuovo paradigma di razionalità, Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Bruni, L., Zamagni, S. (2004), Economia Civile. Efficienza, equità, felicità pubblica, Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Brunori, L. (2003), Relational Goods in Society, Mind and Brain: Between Neurons and Happiness, Group Analysis, December 2003, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 515-525(11).

• De Gier, E. (2003), The Information Society And The Solidarity Contract Challenges for Social Policy in the Age of Information and Globalisation, Paper presented at the Conference Sustainable Ties in the Information Society, Tilburg University, March, 2003.

• Diener, E., Seligman, M.E.P. (2004), Beyond Money. Toward an Economy of Well-Being, Psychological Science in the Public Interest, Vol. 5 Issue 1 Page 1.

• Diener, E., Suh, E.M., Lucas, R.E., Smith, H.L. (1999), Subjective Well-Being: Three Decades of Progress, Psychological Bulletin, 1999, Vol. 125, No. 2, 276-302.

• Easterlin, R.A. (2003), Building a Better Theory of Well-Being, IZA Discussion Paper Series, n.742.

• Easterlin, R.A. (2003), Explaining Happiness, Department of Economics, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

• Egas, M.. Riedl, A. (2005), The Economics of Altruistic Punishment and the Demise of Cooperation, IZA Discussion Paper No. 1646, Institute for the Study of Labour.

• Elster, J. (1989), Social Norms and Economic Theory, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 3 (4): 99-117.

• Elster, J. (1996), Rationality and the Emotions, The Economic Journal, 106 (438) : 1386-1397.

• Diener, E., Eunkook, M.S., Lucas, R.E., Smith, H.L. (1999), Subjective Well-Being: Three Decades of Progress, Psychological Bulletin, 1999, Vol. 125, No. 2, 276-302.

• Frank, R.H. (1987), If Homo Economicus Could Choose His Own Utility Function, Would He Want One with a Conscience?, American Economic Review, Vol. 77, Issue 4, 593-604,

• Frey, B.S., Meyer, S. (2002), Pro-Social Behavior, Reciprocity or Both?, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich, Working Paper No. 107.

• Frey, B.S., Stutzer, A. (2001), Maximizing Happiness?, German Economic Review Volume 1(Issue 2) (May 2000): S. 145-167.

• Frey, B.S., Stutzer, A. (2002), Beyond Outcomes. Measuring Procedural Utility, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich, mimeo.

• Frey, B.S., Stutzer, A. (2003), Economic Consequences of Mispredicting Utility, Paper presented at the Conference on Well-Being and Social Capital, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, John F. Kennedy School of Government November 2003.

• Frey, B.S., Stutzer, A. (2003), Testing Theories of Happiness, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics, University of Zurich, Working Paper No. 147.

• Gintis, H. (1998), The Individual in Economic Theory: A Research Agenda, University of Massachussets, Department of Economics, mimeo.

• Gintis, H. Romer, P. (1998), The Human Side of Economic Analysis: Economic Environments and the Evolution of Norms and Preferences, University of Massachussets, Department of Economics, mimeo.

• Glaeser, E.L., Laibson, D., Sacerdote, B. (2002), An Economic Approach to Social Capital, The Economic Journal, November 2002, vol. 112, no. 483, pp. 437-458(22).

• Gui, B. (2002), Più che scambi, incontri. La teoria economica alle prese con i fenomeni interpersonali, in Sacco, P.L. e Zamagni, S. (a cura di), Complessità relazionale e comportamento economico. Materiali per un nuovo paradigma di razionalità, Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Healy, T. (2005), In Each Other’s Shadow. What has been the impact of human and social capital on life satisfaction in Ireland?, A Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at the National University of Ireland.

• Heliwell, J.F. (2003), Well-Being and Social Capital: Does Suicide Pose a Puzzle?, Paper presented at the Conference Social Capital and Well-Being, Harvard University, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, November 7-9, 2003.

• Jaeger, W.K. (2004), Status Seeking and Social Welfare: Is There Virtue in Vanity?, Social Science Quarterly, Volume 85 Issue 2 Page 361.

• Kahneman, D. (1994), New challenges to the rationality assumption, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics, 150, 1836.

• Keely, L.C. (2003), Why Isn't Growth Making Us Happier? Utility on the Hedonic Treadmill, University of Wisconsin, Department of Economics, mimeo.

• Konow, J. (2004), Mixed Feelings: Theories and Evidence of Warm Glow and Altruism, Department of Economics, Loyola Marymount University, mimeo.

• Konow, J., Early, J. (2003), The Hedonistic Paradox: Is Homo Economicus Happier?, Department of Economics, Loyola Marymount University, mimeo.

• Lane, R.E. (2000), The Loss of Happiness in the Market Democracies, New Haven, Yale University Press.

• Layard, R. (2003), Happiness: Has Social Science a Clue?, Lionel Robbins Memorial Lectures 2002/3, London School of Economics, 3rd-5th March, 2003.

• Mckee, A. (2004), Views On Happiness In The Television Series Ally Mcbeal: The Philosophy Of David E Kelley, Journal of Happiness Studies, 5 (4): 385-411, 2004.

• Okuno-Fujiwara, M. (2002), Social Relations and Endogenous Culture, Japanese Economic Review, Volume 53 Issue 1 Page 1.

• Persky, J. (1995), The Ethology of Homo Economicus, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. (Year): 9 (1995), Issue 2 (Spring), 221-31.

• Pugno, M. (2005), Capabilites, The Self and Well-Being: A Research in Psycho-Economics, Discussion Paper No.18-2005, University of Trento, Department of Economics.

• Rabin, M. (1996), Psychology and Economics, University of California, Berkeley, Department of Economics, mimeo.

• Read, D. (2004), Utility theory from Jeremy Bentham to Daniel Kahneman, Working Paper No: LSEOR 04-64, Department of Operational Research, London School of Economics.

• Rothstein, B. (1998), Just Institutions Matter: The Moral and Political Logic of The Universal Welfare State, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.

• Sacco, P.L., Zamagni, S. (eds), Complessità relazionale e comportamento economico. Materiali per un nuovo paradigma di razionalità, Bologna, Il Mulino.

• Sally, D. (2000), A general theory of sympathy, mind-reading, and social interaction, with an application to the Prisoners' Dilemma, Social Science Information, December 2000, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 567-634(68).

• Sally, D.F. (2001), On Sympathy And Games, Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Vol. 44, No. 1, January.

• Savage, J., Kanazawa, S. (2004), Social Capital and the Human Psyche: Why Is Social Life “Capital”?, Sociological Theory, September 2004, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 504-524(21).

• Sugden, R. (2002), Beyond sympathy and empathy: Adam Smith's concept of fellow-feeling, Economics and Philosophy, 18:63-87.

• Thaler, R.H. (2000), From Homo Economicus to Homo Sapiens, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 14, No. 1, Winter 2000, 133-141.

• Varelius, J. (2004), Objective Explanations of Individual Well-being, Journal of Happiness Studies, 5 (1): 73-91, 2004.

• Welsch, H. (2003), Freedom and Rationality as Predictors of Cross-National Happiness Patterns: The Role of Income as a Mediating Variable, Journal of Happiness Studies, 4 (3): 295-321, 2003.

• White, M.D. (2003), Reconciling homo economicus and John Dewey's ethics, Journal of Economic Methodology, Vol. 10, Number 2 / June 2003, 223-243.

• Wintrobe, R. (2003), Can Suicide Bomber Be Rational?, University of Western Ontario, Department of Economics, mimeo.

• Zamagni, S. (1994), Economia e filosofia, Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche, mimeo.

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