----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- 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 ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]