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There is a paradox at the heart of our civilisation. Individuals want more income. Yet as society has got richer, people have not become happier. Over the past 50 years [...]

Russia's economic and political conditions are not at their best at the present. Its government is still so weak that it is not yet able to enforce decrees. On the other hand, since the country has vast natural resources and a high literacy rate, is expected to prosper if market forces work in its favor. Private enterprises will be a factor in Russia's economic growth because foreign investors will be assured of good returns in the large domestic market.

British literacy levels are low, but innumeracy is what really holds us back. The top half of German earners get little more than the top half of Britons. But the [...]

Internationally, the clinical outcomes of routine mental health services are rarely recorded or reported; however, an exception is the English Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service, which delivers psychological therapies recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for depression and anxiety disorders to more than 537 000 patients in the UK each year. A session-by-session outcome monitoring system ensures that IAPT obtains symptom scores before and after treatment for 98% of patients. Service outcomes can then be reported, along with contextual information, on public websites.

The best society is the one where the people are happiest, and the best policy is the one that produces the greatest happiness. So argued great eighteenth-century thinkers like Jeremy […]

An interview with economist Richard Layard and psychologist David Clark is presented. Topics include their book "Thrive: The Power of Evidence-Based Psychological Therapies;" what they describe as a stigma surrounding mental health, and an undertreatment of mental illness; and the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety disorders.

There is a clear fall in demand for unskilled labour in all countries. Against the background, the UK must look at ways of reducing the supply of unskilled labour if rising unemployment and falling wages are to be avoided. Particular attention must be given to ensuring that all young adults leave formal education with at least NVQ 2 or five good GCSEs. It is clear that young adults can no longer expect to be trained by their employer, so it is now necessary to move beyond a voluntary approach.

Focuses on Western communities' search for happiness in relation to the utilitarianism ideals of Jeremy Bentham. Failure of intense individualism to make people happy; Definition of happiness as an objective dimension of experience; Consideration of the personal, work and community life of an individual.

The author argues that national happiness should be used to influence political policy. Topics include Great Britain's measurement of national well-being beginning in 2011, the impact of factors such as health, family relationships, and community life on population happiness versus that of family income, and the need for government policy to focus on professional support and services for parents and young people.

The paper attempts to throw light on the direct (instructional) cost of OU teaching methods as against conventional “live” instruction. The variable cost per student-course is with one exception lower in the OU than elsewhere. This constitutes a strong case for the use of existing OU packages in campus universities, especially as campus universities might feel able to dispense with the costs of the summer schools. It also constitutes a case for expansion of existing courses at the OU. As regards the development of new OU packages, the paper shows the Foundation courses to be much cheaper than equivalent provision de novo at the same scale in campus universities. Measured by the breakeven number of students, second-level courses in a given faculty are cheaper than foundation level courses. But they also have fewer students and some are operating at levels which, if there were no interdependence between courses, might be considered expensive. If however they were used by more students either at the OU or at campus universities they could be economic, even when taken on their own. The paper does not cost student time but, if this is cheaper when OU teaching methods are used, this is a further argument in their favour.

The article discusses the Action for Happiness project, which is based on two basic principles including individuals must make an explicit objective of how they live in order to have a happier society and science can provide the tools for building a happier society. Topics include the conflict making others happy and personal happiness and the aims and objectives of Action for Happiness.

The article focuses on the initiative of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which promotes the international measurement of subjective well-being. The development of standards for the measurement of subjective well-being to be used by governments for domestic purposes and international comparison is highlighted. According to the author, metrics for economic development must be centered on happiness and misery.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article by Adam Phillips on happiness studies in the March 2008 issue.

The editorial discusses the advocacy of government intervention and efforts towards promoting nationwide happiness in Great Britain. The theoretical objections by the economist Paul Ormerod are given and criticized by the editor, highlighting the complex nature of the economic and political contributions to general feeling in a population. It is suggested that government support of happiness is an important and worthy cause to pursue.

Part V. Opinion. Discusses the causes of unemployment and suggests ways the British government can reduce it in 1997. The lack of real progress in recent years; The two ways to reform the system; The three major changes that are needed.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article on the connection between happiness and economic growth in the November 27, 2010 issue.

The article presents commentary on the need for character education in Great Britain's schools, as of 2007. The author believes that values education should be a major aim in every school, and he questions how much attentions is given to personal, social, and health education (PSHE) in secondary schools. He advocates for a graduate specialization in PSHE, noting that the subject includes emotions, interpersonal and sexual relationships, parenting, health, and political and social engagement.

Focuses on academic Richard Layard's advocacy of the welfare-to-work program as the solution to the unemployment in Great Britain. Appointment as an adviser to the education and employment department under Prime Minister Tony Blair; Tenure as director of the center for economic performance at the London School of Economics; Labour's emphasis on schools and mass vocational education. INSET: Huw Richards talks to Andrew Dilnot about next Wednesday's...

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "Metall Bashing" in the February 19, 1994 issue.

Presents letters to the editor referencing articles and topics published in previous issues. Information regarding the macroeconomic performance of the Russian economy; Terms and conditions imposed by International Monetary Fund on the Russian economy; Role of experience in the overall management of a company.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "The Revolution Begins at Last," in the September 30, 1995 issue, "Back to Work," in the October 7, 1995 issue and "Good Intentions, Road to Service," in the October 7, 1995.