#Wellbeing economics

[queerbrownvegan]

From my latest collaboration with the Wellbeing Economy Alliance! Their organization is dedicated to challenging economic growth as the only metric of wellbeing, because it fails to encompass so much.

Countries have started to enact goalposts for "wellbeing economies" which ask not only, "how will this contribute to economic growth?" but how will this help enrich people's lives and wellbeing? The changes have already been inspiring.

The key issue with GDP (which was never intended to be focused on so intently) is that it only accounts for spending. Why can't that be used as a metric? Things like oil spills positively contribute to GDP (more money spent on clean up), more hospital visits, virtually anything that requires money is "positive" for GDP. This metric also is biased toward rich people who spend exorbitantly more than the average person.

On our way to a sustainable future, wellbeing economies help provide a broader framework to make key decisions and measure social progress 🌞

Full post on my Instagram!

[txttletale]

I know little about the stuff of states. What strings do you think could go with the US' military support to Ukraine? I am not asking for proof or evidence, just some examples of what the US could be asking Ukraine in turn.

alright so--it's important not to think of this conspiratorially. a lot of people, when they hear 'US aid has strings attached', imagine a shadowy figure on the phone with zelensky saying 'oh, we'll help you in this war... but you have to do something for us...'. but it is usually¹ more structural than that. for example, i think we can all agree that if ukraine were to unconditionally surrender to russia, that would be bad.

but there are a huge range of other conditions that could be pursued as prerequisites or preferences for a peace treaty--and when the US & friends make ukraine's military effort dependent on their continued support, and then publicly declare support for maximalist war aims like 'punishing' russia, reannexing crimea, or arresting putin, they incentivise the ukrainian state to pursue those goals militarily and diplomatically & strengthen the political capital of these maximalists and militarists within ukraine compared to more moderate factions.

then there is--of course--the fact that all the weapons and planes and so on given to the ukrainian military (including a lot of nazis!) aren't going to go anywhere. by putting them in the hands of a US-aligned government and their allies (which, again, include a lot of nazis), the US is materially strengthening that political wing in ukraine for decades to come no matter what the outcome of the war. like, influencing through resource provision in international politics rarely means 'giving people stuff to make them align with you'--rather, it means 'giving the people who already align with you stuff'.

so tldr: by provisioning the ukrainian state to fight this war and expressing specific policy goals wrt russia, the USA is de facto materially promoting those policy goals within the ukrainian government and military, as well as materially promoting the power & influence of said government and military over its citizens!

[princetonuniversitypress]

Hope & Happiness

I have spent much of my career as an economist studying the determinants of happiness in people in different countries and cultures around the world and, in turn, exploring how happiness affects important life outcomes such as work, health, longevity, and social life. While at first wellbeing was not considered the domain of economists, it is now a subfield in economics and includes collaboration with scholars in other disciplines, such as psychology, psychiatry, and the biological sciences as well...These are uncertain times. Given the damage that despair has already caused, including the prematurely lost lives of well over 100,000 Americans in 2021 alone, its spread to the next generation is a daunting thought. It is urgent that we expand our knowledge and put what we do know into practical policies. The science of wellbeing provides us with new tools to do so. Critical moments require radical new thinking on the importance of restoring hope.

Read more from Carol Graham.

Carol Graham is the interim vice president and director of economic studies at the Brookings Institution and College Park Professor at the University of Maryland. She is the author of Happiness around the World: The Paradox of Happy Peasants and Miserable Millionaires; The Pursuit of Happiness: An Economy of Well-Being; Happiness for All? Unequal Hopes and Lives in Pursuit of the American Dream (Princeton); and other books, as well as numerous articles in academic journals.

#Happiness#hope#health#science#DeathsofDespair#economics#MentalHealth#psychology#wellbeing#people#books

[medicinemane]

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[nochd]

"Money does in fact buy happiness but only up to a certain salary" ---this has been updated with more data.

It appears that happiness does continue to increase with wealth, but it does so logarithmically, and the shallowing logarithmic curve is what looked like it going flat.

What this means is: the happiness that a person gets if they start with $1000 and gain another $100, is the same amount of happiness that a person gets if they start with $1,000,000,000 and gain another $100,000,000.

From which it follows that the total amount of happiness-as-a-function-of-wealth in the world always increases when money is taken off a rich person and given to a poor person.

[fcfvafeed]

Breaking the Spiral: When Financial Hardship Meets Modern Day Escapism

When a dead truck battery meets endless YouTube scrolling, rock bottom gets real. This isn't just another financial advice piece - it's a raw look at modern struggle and a roadmap back to stability. A must-read for anyone feeling stuck.

When Life Hits Hard: Breaking Free from Financial Quicksand The screen glows in the darkness as I mindlessly scroll through yet another YouTube video. Outside, my truck sits idle with a dead battery – a $200 problem I can’t currently solve. Inside, the tension grows as my partner shoulders more of our financial burden. This isn’t just my story; it’s a reality many of us are one misfortune away…

[cummunityguidestarblog]

How Local Communities Can Benefit from Eco-Tourism: A Sustainable Approach to Economic Growth

How Local Communities Can Benefit from Eco-Tourism: A Sustainable Approach to Economic Growth Introduction Eco-tourism is more than just a trend; it’s a powerful tool for sustainable development. As travelers become more conscious of their environmental impact, local communities stand to gain economically and socially by embracing eco-tourism. In this article, we’ll explore how eco-tourism can…

[omegaphilosophia]

Why Many Modern-Day Jobs are Detrimental or Useless to Society

In the contemporary world, a significant number of jobs have been criticized for being either detrimental or useless to society. This critique has been fueled by growing concerns about the negative impact certain professions have on individual well-being, the environment, and the overall social fabric. The concept of "bullshit jobs," popularized by anthropologist David Graeber, highlights the existence of jobs that contribute little to society while consuming time, energy, and resources. In this discussion, we'll explore why some modern-day jobs are viewed as detrimental or useless and examine the implications for individuals and society as a whole.

Detrimental Jobs: Harmful to Society and the Environment

Environmental Degradation:

Many jobs in industries like fossil fuels, fast fashion, and industrial agriculture are seen as detrimental due to their significant contributions to environmental degradation. These jobs often involve activities that harm ecosystems, contribute to climate change, and deplete natural resources. The environmental cost of these industries raises questions about their long-term sustainability and the moral justification for their continued existence.

Exploitation and Inequality:

Certain jobs are criticized for perpetuating exploitation and widening social inequality. This is particularly evident in low-wage, labor-intensive industries where workers endure poor working conditions, long hours, and minimal pay. The existence of such jobs reflects a system that prioritizes profit over human dignity, contributing to the perpetuation of poverty and social injustice.

Misallocation of Talent:

The financial sector, especially roles focused on speculation and high-frequency trading, is often cited as an example of jobs that misallocate human talent. While these roles may generate significant profits for individuals and corporations, they contribute little to the real economy or societal well-being. The focus on financial manipulation rather than productive innovation can lead to economic instability and undermine the broader social good.

Perpetuation of Harmful Industries:

Jobs in industries like tobacco, arms manufacturing, and junk food production are seen as detrimental because they perpetuate products and services that harm public health and safety. These jobs often exist in direct conflict with societal goals like reducing disease, promoting peace, and improving quality of life.

Useless Jobs: The "Bullshit Jobs" Phenomenon

Lack of Meaningful Contribution:

According to Graeber, a significant number of jobs exist that provide little to no meaningful contribution to society. These "bullshit jobs" include roles such as corporate bureaucrats, telemarketers, and certain types of middle management. Employees in these positions often feel that their work is pointless, leading to widespread dissatisfaction and a sense of alienation.

Artificial Job Creation:

In some cases, jobs are created not because they fulfill a societal need, but because of artificial demand generated by economic or corporate structures. For example, many administrative roles in large organizations may exist simply to manage complexity that could be avoided or streamlined. This creates a situation where resources are spent maintaining inefficiencies rather than addressing real societal challenges.

Psychological Impact:

The existence of useless jobs can have a profound psychological impact on workers. When people feel that their work lacks purpose or value, it can lead to stress, anxiety, and a decline in mental health. This, in turn, can reduce overall productivity and contribute to a broader sense of societal malaise.

Resource Waste:

Useless jobs consume valuable resources, including time, energy, and money, that could be better spent on addressing pressing social issues such as healthcare, education, and environmental conservation. The opportunity cost of maintaining such jobs is significant, as it diverts resources away from potentially transformative projects.

Implications for Society

Economic Inefficiency:

The proliferation of detrimental and useless jobs can lead to significant economic inefficiencies. When large portions of the workforce are engaged in activities that do not contribute to societal well-being or actively harm it, the overall productivity and resilience of the economy suffer.

Moral and Ethical Concerns:

The existence of such jobs raises important moral and ethical questions about the nature of work and its role in human life. Should jobs that harm the environment, exploit workers, or contribute little to society be allowed to continue? How do we balance economic growth with ethical considerations?

Need for a Paradigm Shift:

Addressing these issues may require a fundamental rethinking of our economic and social systems. This could involve redefining the concept of work, prioritizing jobs that contribute to the common good, and creating policies that encourage meaningful employment. A shift towards a more sustainable and equitable economy might involve promoting green jobs, supporting social enterprises, and investing in education and healthcare.

The critique of modern-day jobs as detrimental or useless highlights the need for a deeper examination of the role of work in society. As we face global challenges such as climate change, inequality, and social fragmentation, it is crucial to question whether our current economic structures are serving the greater good. By rethinking the types of jobs we value and prioritize, we can work towards a more just, sustainable, and meaningful future for all.

[familythings]

Can Money Buy Happiness? New Insights from Wharton Professor Matthew Killingsworth

The never-ending debate about whether money can actually buy happiness has been going on for ages. As society changes and the economy evolves, it’s important to take another look at this question from new angles and modern research. Meet Matthew Killingsworth, a renowned professor at the Wharton School, whose latest research provides fresh and groundbreaking insights into this age-old…

[effectivethings]

5 Effective Ways to Successfully Quit Smoking

Tips toSuccessfully Quit Smoking Quitting smoking is no small feat. It demands perseverance, motivation, and a solid strategy. If you’re aiming to kick the habit for good, here are five effective ways to help you navigate the journey: Estimated reading time: 3 minutes Photo by George Morina on Pexels.com 1. Ask Yourself the Vital Question Begin with introspection. Frequently ask yourself,…

[titleknown]

The doubly sad part is, the economy being in such a shithole is probably leading to that mindset, because being that kind of secure seems just as far away as being a trillionaire.

Like, it puts me in mind of this:

Watching #grindculture #hustle TikTok is so sad because it's all of this talk about investing every day until you're a trillionaire, but then you actually consider what a lot of young people interested in this content want and it's like: a nice house with a yard, a nice car, enough money to ensure your family's needs are covered, savings that keep you financially secure, two relaxing vacations a year, and some money left over for hobbies.

You don't want to be the Wolf of Wall Street, you just want to earn $250,000 a year as a household, but you've been convinced that those two goals are the same thing! Why are you teaching yourself how to trade options on Robinhood when your heart's desire is just to acquire what every orthodontist in the country has. Winner-take-all wealth distributions have fucked our brains

[txttletale]

What I don't get is that other your support of AI image generation, you're SO smart and well read and concerned with ethics. I genuinely looked up to you! So, what, ethics for everyone except for artists, or what? Is animation (my industry, so maybe I care more than the average person) too juvenile and simplistic a medium for you to care about its extinction at the hands of CEOs endorsing AI? This might sound juvenile too, but I'm kinda devastated, because I genuinely thought you were cool. You're either with artists or against us imho, on an issue as large as this, when already the layoffs in the industry are insurmountable for many, despite ongoing attempts to unionize. That user called someone a fascist for pointing this out, too. I guess both of you feel that way about those of us involved in class action lawsuits against AI image generation software.

i can't speak for anyone else or the things they've said or think of anyone. that said:

1. you should not look up to people on the computer. i'm just a girl running a silly little blog.

2. i am an artist across multiple mediums. the 'no true scotsman' bit where 'artists' are people who agree with you and you can discount anyone disagrees with you as 'not an artist' and therefore fundamentally unsympathetic to artists will make it very difficult to actually engage in substantive discussion.

3. i've stated my positions on this many times but i'll do it one more: i support unionization and industrial action. i support working class artists extracting safeguards from their employers against their immiseration by the introduction of AI technology into the work flow (i just made a post about this funnily enough). i think it is Bad for studio execs or publishers or whoever to replace artists with LLMs. However,

4. this is not a unique feature of AI or a unique evil built into the technology. this is just the nature of any technological advance under capitalism, that it will be used to increase productivity, which will push people out of work and use the increased competition for jobs to leverage that precarity into lower wages and worse conditions. the solution to this is not to oppose all advances in technology forever--the solution is to change the economic system under which technologies are leveraged for profit instead of general wellbeing.

5. this all said anyone involved in a class action lawsuit over AI is an enemy of art and everything i value in the world, because these lawsuits are all founded in ridiculous copyright claims that, if legitimated in court, would be cataclysmic for all transformative art--a victory for any of these spurious boondoggles would set a precedent that the bar for '''infringement''' is met by a process that is orders of magnitude less derivative than collage, sampling, found art, cut-ups, and even simple homage and reference. whatever windmills they think they are going to defeat, these people are crusading for the biggest expansion of copyright regime since mickey mouse and anyone who cares at all about art and creativity flourishing should hope they fail.

[vamptastic]

whoever scheduled european history (favorite subject, only history class offered beyond the basic required curriculum) and the fourth (and final, and very important!) year of my drafting class for only one class period each at the same time needs to die. my heart is divided in two and every time my drafting teacher lectures me about the quality of my air conditioning plans i daydream of charts of monarchies.

[bilbobagginsomebabez]

I do not understand the point of this post. this just means everyone is poor.

class is relative. it doesn't matter if $10 could feed you for a week in India, it's not enough for a single meal here. the absolute number value assigned to the shit you need is immaterial. it's about whether you can get the shit you need with the amount of resources you have access to. the majority of americans cannot currently meet their basic needs for food and shelter with the resources they have access to. this is 62% of the people in our country, they make enough each paycheck to pay the majority of their bills. a single unexpected expense means homelessness.

it doesn't matter if GDP is a really big number or if we earn "stupendous amounts" in "absolute money." we can't afford food, and starvation is the same everywhere.

One of the horrible things about the prosperity of the United States is that they've managed to make the cost of living so high that their incredibly high levels of wealth only really show up on the periphery of people's lives.

Americans earn stupendous amounts of absolute money but you can only tell because they have the ability to spend money on things that don't actually improve their lives very much, often because they don't have another choice.

People's claims about the failure of the United States online are often overblown yelling that exaggerate the size of the genuinely bad situation faced by the most vulnerable people, but by GDP per capita you'd really expect the United States to be a much better place to live.

[darcylindbergh]

I've talked a lot about why you should vote AGAINST Trump. No fucking shit, right? But I want to vote FOR something, too.

Kamala Harris hasn't had time yet to put together her platform documents, though no doubt we'll see those in the coming days. But this is a good analysis of where she and Joe Biden stand - and Kamala is more progressive on every front.

Abortion rights: Joe would've restored Roe, but Kamala would expand it to prevent states from limiting access. The pre-clearance measure discussed here is a non-starter but I'd expect Kamala to be looking at how to frame the issue for another try.

Israel and Gaza: it's true that Kamala hasn't broken with Joe publicly about Gaza. However, the article goes on:

Harris hasn’t exactly broken with Biden over the issue. But she has expressed more public sympathy than Biden has over the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have died during Israel’s counterattack. In March, she was one of the earliest high-profile leaders in the administration to call for an immediate temporary cease-fire in March. She also delivered the sharpest rebuke against Israel’s handling of aid flows into Gaza and described the conflict as a “humanitarian catastrophe” for innocent civilians. And privately, she has told Biden and other top officials that the administration needed to take a stronger stance against Netanyahu and focus on a long-term peace to the decades-long conflict, people familiar with her remarks have previously told POLITICO.

Kamala has also declined to preside over the upcoming session of Congress that Netanyahu is speaking at, on invitation by Republicans. She wasn't scheduled to before this, but I think declining now is a clear indicator that her foreign policy will not include the broad support we saw from Joe.

Climte Change: Honestly, the Build Back Better bill was so fucking substantial and incredible I think Kamala would be hard-pressed to do much more. I think Kamala needs to have a solid response ready to the recent Supreme Court decision overturning Chevron, which is the biggest threat to the EPA and other agencies in our lifetimes. (Trump, by the way, would abolish the EPA and the vast majority of environmental protections.)

Student debt relief: She was more progressive earlier, and I expect we'll see many of Joe's relief packages continue expanding.

Similarly:

Free college: Kamala's in full support. I understand Joe's position that students from wealthy families should pay their own way, but I also know from experience that students from wealthy family not immune to financial abuse by controlling parents.

Trade: this is actually a great one to know, because Kamala's hesitance on these trade agreements are related to a) environmental concerns, and b) outsourcing American jobs. Republicans love to lose their shit over outsourcing American jobs. Here's more significance in the trade sphere:

This is going to be a HUGE talking point for your conservative-leaning relatives. Business leaders do not want Trump in office, because the agenda laid out in Project 2025 will make it harder for them to do business - it will make it harder for them to attract global talent, costlier to import and export, and stunt economic growth. Do you know that "undecided" voter who votes red for "fiscal responsibility?" This your talking point. Kamala's platform spends, but in such a way that it will stimulate economic growth and solidify the US as a business leader worldwide.

Artificial Intelligence: I'll let Kamala speak for herself.

“History has shown, in the absence of regulation and strong government oversight, some technology companies choose to prioritize profit over the wellbeing of their customers, the safety of our communities, and the stability of our democracies,” Harris said during her visit to the U.K. for November’s AI Safety Summit.  Last July, during the early days of the White House’s mobilization on AI policy, Harris led a meeting among civil rights, labor and consumer protection groups where she rejected the “false choice” between promoting innovation and protecting the public.

The article also talks about data privacy, where Kamala and Joe are very similar, and animal welfare. Historically, Kamala defended animal welfare protections in CA, but remember that as Attorney General, Kamala's job was to defend the law no matter what her personal feelings were. Biden made some strides here, but many will agree not enough - I think this is a place where Kamala has to tread very carefully because progressives are in favor of more stringent animal welfare protections, but agricultural and rural voters are already a demographic inclined to view progressive agendas negatively, feeling forgotten, misunderstood, and passed over in favor of large cities. It's definitely a weakness for the Dems so I wouldn't expect to hear much about animal welfare as a voting issue.

IN SUM

I'm very happy to vote FOR Kamala, not just against Trump. I think she stands to take stronger action on abortion, stronger action on Israel and Gaza, stronger action on college and student debt relief. I think she'll continue work inherited on environmental protections and infrastructure. I think she will do more to protect LGBTQ+ individuals and unions, as well as standing strong on disability reform and criminal justice reform (yes, I know she was a prosecutor, and I also know that she worked on several important CJ reforms during her time as AG - here's an article about her progressive record as DA).

Remember, there's no such thing as a protest vote. The only people who benefit by third-party voting or choosing not to vote are the far-right.

[ot3]

If you genuinely believe it is acceptable to join the us military because you're desperate or you don't know any better then you are prioritizing the right of an American citizen to be ignorant and self interested over non-americans right to live. Yeah I understand people have to make certain difficult choices if they're poor! But you have to draw a moral line about what you would or would not do to improve your own economic status at some point. The place I draw that line is at joining the united states military and if that's not where your line is drawn then you either don't know enough about what this country has done and should really look into it, or you're too racist for harm committed outside of this nations borders to impact your decision making.

Talking about how "vulnerable" the people who join the military are is something that can only hold any weight if your frame of reference for vulnerability begins and ends within the borders of the united states. Even the absolute least privileged US citizen reaps imperial benefits that are completely out of grasp of most people on the planet. Being ignorant of the crimes the us military has committed is the privilege of someone who has never been victimized by them. Being in a position where you have the option to economically benefit from participating in the military occupation of foreign countries, participating in any step of that apparatus at all, is arguably one of most the definitive and egregious manifestations of colonial privilege that the average american has access to.

Meanwhile, the people in many of these formerly colonized and/or currently occupied countries have had their economic opportunities gutted. The upward mobility you all seem to think justifies any amount of service to the empire is not even an option for them. Cobalt, coffee, rubber, chocolate, bananas, sweatshop, chemical plants, all of their labor and natural resources being siphoned off to boost our economy, funnel money into our military, which is then used to continue massacring them and collapsing their governments if they dare to try and improve domestic conditions. God forbid they own their own water and land! And God forbid they try to come here either because we all know how that works out!

I don't know how else to say it. I am begging you to consider these people as being as fully human as you are. If you wouldn't justify murdering your neighbor for college tuitionyou shouldn't justify joining the army for it either. The bare, bare, rock bottom minimum of allyship against colonialism is not joining the army and not justifying anyone else's decision to do so either. I'm not trying to moralize. I'm not trying to grandstand. This is a fully earnest plea to please consider the wellbeing of the people victimized by imperialism, not just the ones carrying it out, coerced or otherwise. There are plenty of moral gray areas in life but this is not one of them if you consider the lives of people in the global South to be valuable.