RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham and Jeremy Shapiro, August 13, 2009, The Washington Post
Though Afghanistan has been at war much of the last 30 years, Carol Graham and Jeremy Shapiro find that Afghans remain surprisingly happy. Graham and Shapiro believe adaptations to crime and corruption play a major role and argue that better understanding of multiple happiness factors, including Taliban influence, should shape future U.S. strategy in the country. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay, May 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In Afghanistan, individuals have to cope with the most adverse of circumstances. Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay use tools provided by a new approach in economics that relies on surveys of happiness or reported well-being to deepen our understanding of conditions there.They conclude that average happiness scores in Afghanistan are higher than the world average and discuss the implications of this and other findings for policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
April 13, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Leaders of the Western Hemisphere gathered in Trinidad and Tobago on April 17-19, 2009 for the fifth Summit of the Americas. In a series of commentary articles focused on the summit's agenda and key challenges, Brookings experts discuss critical economic, social, energy and climate change issues facing the leaders attending the summit and propose recommendations for policy action. Read More
VIDEO
Mauricio Cárdenas, April 10, 2009
Mauricio Cárdenas, director of the Latin America Initiative, says the focus of the fifth Summit of the Americas will be the global economic crisis. He also explains that the nations need to agree on strengthening regional development banks and that certain countries need open trade.
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Washington, DC
In spite of the challenges posed by poverty and high levels of inequality in Latin America, studies show its people are generally happy and continue to support market reforms and democracy. Yet, in the midst of the global financial crisis, will this trend shift in Latin America? On January 21, the Latin America Initiative at Brookings hosted a discussion on the current trends in the region in terms of economic growth, inflation, unemployment and the financial crisis, based on the most recent evaluations from a new approach in economics: the economics of happiness. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham, November 25, 2008, Connecticut Public Broadcasting Network
In a recent interview, Carol Graham discusses how happiness and general well being has been affected by the recent financial crisis. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay, October 24, 2008, The Globalist
As the global financial crisis continues, Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay examine the potential impact of the crisis on the happiness level of Americans and discuss ways happiness rises and falls with economic changes. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Gregg Easterbrook, June 16, 2008, NPR's Talk of the Nation
Americans are bombarded by negative images of life nationally and around the world. But are things really as bad as they seem? Gregg Easterbrook argues that, "even if a recession has begun, occasional cycles of slow or no growth are the price we pay for the much longer cycles of boom" — and that we really are better off than what we're being told to believe. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Gregg Easterbrook, June 13, 2008, The Wall Street Journal
Most Americans perceive the nation in a pessimistic state. With the economy in turmoil, gas prices rising dramatically, and the housing market down, Americans are negatively viewing the current state of the nation. However, Gregg Easterbrook argues that we should feel good about our standing and that America is in a better state than before. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Gregg Easterbrook, June 11, 2008, NewTalk
Some have suggested that optimism has faded because Americans have lost confidence in the country’s ability to steer the country in the right direction. Gregg Easterbrook joins a panel of experts on NewTalk to engage in a running discussion about restoring Americans' sense of optimism. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham, January 01, 2008, Project HOPE - Health Affairs January/February 2008
Carol Graham reviews the happiness-health relationship from an economics perspective, highlighting the role of adaptation. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham, November 27, 2007, NPR - The Kojo Nnamdi Show
It's supposed to be the "most wonderful time of the year." But for many Americans, the obligatory shopping that we do around the holidays results in more stress and less contentment. Carol Graham considers how shopping affects our happiness levels and whether ratcheting down our consumption will make us more or less content as a society. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham, July 12, 2007, Yahoo! Finance
Article about Carol Graham (07/12/07) Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham, January 09, 2007, The Kojo Nnamdi Show (WAMU)
Interview wth Carol Graham, The Kojo Nnamdi Show (1/9/07) Read More