Dipartimento di Economia Politica, Milano-Bicocca Capability and Sustainability Centre, St. Edmund College, Cambridge CFS and ESAS-CD, University of Pavia The Capability Network 2ND WORKSHOP ON “CAPABILITIES AND HAPPINESS” – MILANO-BICOCCA 16-18 JUNE 2005 Call for papers Researches on the “Economics and Happiness” are increasingly taking a considerable place among the interests of social scientists: quality of life, the relationship between goods and well-being, relational goods, intrinsic m otivations, and the impact of basic need and relational satisfactions to motivation and wellness. These inquiries overlap with the “Capabilities Approach”, which very much directs attention to these issues. In March 2004 the CSC (Capability and Sustainability Centre, St. Edmund College, Cambridge) organized in Cambridge the 1st workshop “Capabilities and Happiness”, and the participants were persuaded that the connection capabilities-happiness can be extremely stimulating and potentially able of opening a very promising new field of research, an idea shared also by the Capability Netrwork. This second workshop is also a by-product of the researches on happiness undertaken at the Department of Economics of Milano-Bicocca. The workshop itself is a follow up to the first International Conference on the Paradoxes of Happiness in Economics at Milano-Bicocca 20-23 March 2003. The Capabilities approach is unequivocally focussed on the objective dimensions of good life, and considers happiness as a good indicator of the quality of life only if accompanied with a wide capability set, which goes well together with Amartya Sen’s critique to happiness as a possibly misleading concept in human development. The Happiness approach, yet, today includes two methodologically quite different strands. On one side, we have theories of a “subjective” nature which emphasize self-reported feelings, pleasure, satisfaction, focused in particular on the measurement of the corresponding variables. Examples of this subjective approach are manifold in cognitive researches of happiness. That approach also falls within the mainstream of current economic studies on happiness, and has continuity with the Benthamite theory of happiness as utility. The other strand focuses on “objective” analyses of happiness, conceived of as human flourishing. In this strand scholars are interested in intrinsic motivations, civic commitment, relationship status and quality and personal growth as indicators of a happy life. This approach to happiness – that has supporters in economics, sociology and psychology – is fully consistent with the capabilities approach, and has been influenced by a rediscovery of Aristotle’s eudaimonic conception of happiness, as discussed in the work of philosophers such as Martha Nussbaum. The principal aim of this interdisciplinary workshop is to gather together scholars of all the different methodological strands for a rich encounter. The Keynote Speakers include: Amartya Sen, Harvard Edward L. Deci, University of Rochester Ed Diener, University of Illinois Richard Easterlin, University of Southern California Carol Graham, Brookins Institution, Washington Robert Sugden, UEA, Norwich Richard Ryan, University of Rochester Carol Ryff, University of Wisconsin-Madison Scientific Committee: Martha Nussbaum, University of Chicago Amartya Sen, Harvard University Ed Diener, University of Illinois Enrica Chiappero, University of Pavia Flavio Comim, St. Edmund College, Cambridge Luigi Pasinetti, Catholic University, Milan. Pier Luigi Porta, University of Milano-Bicocca Stefano Zamagni, University of Bologna Organization Commettee: Luigino Bruni, Milano-Bicocca Stefano Bartolini, University of Siena Maurizio Pugno, University of Trent Proposals have to be sent to [log in to unmask], not after December, 31 2004.