J. Bronsteen, C. Buccafusco, and J. S. Masur, "Happiness and the Law" (U Chicago Press, 2014)

Summary

In their new book Happiness and the Law (University of Chicago Press 2014), John Bronsteen, Christopher Buccafusco, and Jonathan S. Masur argue through the use of hedonic psychological data that we should consider happiness when determining the best ways to effectuate law. In this podcast Buccafusco, Associate Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Center for Empirical Studies of Intellectual Property at the Illinois Institute of Technology Chicago-Kent College, shares some of the following aspects of the book:

  • How hedonic psychology measures human happiness and some of the things these studies have revealed
  • The author's new approach to evaluating laws called "well-being analysis"
  • Ways the new data on happiness has revealed a need to rethink criminal punishment
  • What the future holds for happiness research

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