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CALL FOR PAPERS 
"The Paradoxes of Happiness in Economics" 
Milan-Bicocca, 21-22-23 March 2003 
 
The Economics Department of the University of Milan-Bicocca is organising, in March 2003 (
21-22-23), an international multidisciplinary Conference on "The Paradoxes of Happiness in
Economics".
 
The aim of the Conference is to gather scholars working in the field in order to reflect
on a topic that is growing fast also among economists. In particular, though preserving
the different interests and disciplinarian perspectives,  the theme will be approached
also from a theoretical and methodological point of view, with the following goals:
 
a) pointing out the peculiarity of the concept of happiness with respect to other similar
concepts used throughout the history of economics, such as welfare, ophelimity, utility,
satisfaction, well-being. In current debates, in fact, the category of happiness does not
have its own specific meaning, and it is often used interchangeably with other terms. Does
this perhaps represent a loss? Does happiness have its own significant theoretical content
that can be useful for solving the present paradoxes?
 
b) exploring deeper what lies behind the "paradoxes of happiness". That happiness has a
paradoxical nature is an ancient truth: Socrates, Aristotle, Mill and contemporary authors
all know this. Which are the real paradoxes of happiness, apart from the classical paradox
of more income and less (or not enough) happiness? Which ones are important for the
economic science? Scholars are invited to both identify the paradoxes, and suggest
theoretical solutions to them.
 
Proposals (of 2 pages maximum) should be sent, by post or, ideally, electronic mail, to
Luigino Bruni or Pier Luigi Porta, no later than August 30, 2002. We'll reply no later
than 30 October 2002. Conference papers (maximum 40,000 characters) should be sent to
discussants and chairmen before 10, February, 2003. Further suggestions concerning the
presentation of papers, information on registration fees, accomodation and other
logistical aspects will be provided later, in the Department's webpage
(http://dipeco.economia.unimib.it).
 
Proposals have to be send to 
 
Luigino Bruni: [log in to unmask] 
or 
Pier Luigi Porta: [log in to unmask] 
Dipartimento di Economia Politica 
Università di Milano-Bicocca 
Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1 
20126 Milan - Italy 
 
 
Keynote speakers: 
 
Richard A. Easterlin 
Robert Frank 
Bruno Frey 
Daniel Kanheman 
Matt Matravers 
Andrew Oswald 
Charlotte Phelps 
Robert Sugden 
Ruut Veenhoven 
Stefano Zamagni 
 
Scientific Committee 
 
RICHARD E. EASTERLIN (University of Southern California) 
BENEDETTO GUI (University of Padua) 
LUIGI PASINETTI (University of Milan-Cattolica) 
PIER LUIGI PORTA (University of Milan-Bicocca) 
ROBERTO SCAZZIERI (University of Bologna) 
AMARTYA SEN (Trinity College, Cambridge) 
ROBERT SUGDEN (University of East Anglia) 
STEFANO ZAMAGNI (University of Bologna) 
 
Organising Committee (Milan-Bicocca, Economics Department) 
 
Pier Luigi Porta 
Luigino Bruni 
Luca Stanca 
Mario Gilli 
 
 
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