High Party official: Books can help define happiness
GUANGZHOU - What are officials in Guangdong reading these days?
Many now have a title by Harvard scholar Tal Ben-Shahar and another co-written by Nobel Prize-winning economists Joseph Stiglitz and Amartya Sen along with French economist Jean Paul Fitoussi.
Part of the reason the books have sold well in the province is that Wang Yang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and provincial Party secretary of Guangdong, recently recommended them to officials at different levels to reshape their outlook and develop new ideas for building a "Happy Guangdong".
Ben-Shahar's work Happier: Finding Pleasure, Meaning and Life's Ultimate Currency explores the application of and meditations on happiness.
The book is expected to appeal to those eager for a change in the direction of their life so they can be happier.
Mismeasuring Our Lives: Why GDP Doesn't Add Up by Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi is a report on why GDP is a deeply flawed indicator of economic performance and social progress, and how to develop better indicators of well-being.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy turned to the three noted economists for advice at the outset of the global financial crisis in 2008.
In their book they introduce an array of new concepts to measure sustainable economic welfare, savings, wealth and a green GDP.
"Happiness is the common pursuit of human beings," noted Wang in his letter recommending the books. "The books will definitely be beneficial to our efforts to build a 'Happy Guangdong' if the research can be well integrated with the actual situation in the province."
He said the happiness of people is fundamental to development for Guangdong, adding that the province must avoid development at the cost of people's well being or allowing social problems to build up using the excuse of development speed.
Wang made known his strong desire of establishing a series of happiness indices to keep future development healthy and sustainable.
Provincial Governor Huang Huahua said he found the two books inspiring. He said leading officials at different levels in the province should become versed in happiness indices and use the notions in their policymaking.
Wang is among the very few, if not the only, Party leader in China to recommend foreign books extensively to Chinese officials, which some analysts attribute to Wang's own open attitude as well as to Guangdong's position as China's pioneer in "opening-up" policies.
(China Daily 06/01/2011 page60)
