Happiness and capability: measurement, theory and policy

Njimengen, Netherlands

What is well-being? The list of answers—all potentially correct—may be daunting, ask any social scientist or humanities researcher working on the topic. Few other concepts lie at this juncture between the social sciences and humanities. The challenging task of answering what it is notwithstanding, well-being, across all disciplines, has never before been such a popular topic in academia. Indeed, the number of publications and specialist journals speaks for itself.

Though attempts to define well-being have been numerous and ambitious, they are often marred by contradiction, politics and scepticism, while the concept remains vague, primitive and easily captured by cultural relativism. Furthermore, as the theoretical debate unfolds, real-life applications of well-being constructs appear to enter the policy debate only scarcely. The aim of this workshop organized by the Chair in Economic Theory and Policy at Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands, is to provide a platform to debate this urgent set of issues. The workshop, which will be held in the former Augustinian convent Soeterbeeck (Ravenstein), brings together experts—economists, philosophers, sociologists, psychologists, and policy makers—working on the frontier of the theoretical and empirical characteristics of well-being.

Please note that the deadline for submitting a proposal is 31st January 2008.

You may follow the link for further details:

http://www.socialcapitalgateway.org/eng-nijmegen2008.html