Centre for Economic Performance Public Debate
Date: Tuesday 5 July 2005
Time: 6.30pm
Venue: Old Theatre, Old Building
Speakers: Professor Lord Layard and Dr Raj Persaud
Should happiness be at the centre of government policy? Does having more really do anything for our well-being? Can legislation raise national contentment? Come to a debate at LSE between one of Britain's leading economists, Lord Layard, and one of the country's foremost psychiatrist, Professor Raj Persaud and contribute on the future of our culture of contentment.
In Lord Layard's new book on Happiness (Happiness: lessons from a new science, Penguin) he argues that the relentless pursuit of economic growth is exacting a high price from the national psyche - leaving depression and emotional impoverishment in its wake. His polemic is that we should radically rethink economic and social policy to reorient it towards increasing the happiness of the population.
In contrast Professor Raj Persaud in his new book The Motivated Mind (Bantam Press) - an antithesis to Layard's book - suggests that sustained happiness at the personal level is not going to be achieved by macroeconomic tinkering and has more to do with personal adjustment and attitude. He warns that attempts to manufacture happiness through policy directives in the past have been doomed to failure, because of a fundamental failure to appreciate the elusive and personal nature of sustained long term well-being.
Professor Lord (Richard) Layard was founder director of the LSE's Centre for Economic Performance and intellectual architect of the New Deal for the unemployed. He now heads the centre's programme on well-being.
Dr Raj Persaud is consultant psychiatrist at The Maudsley Hospital, London; senior lecturer at the Institute of Psychiatry, University of London; Gresham Professor for public understanding of psychiatry and director at the centre for public engagement, Kings College, London.
This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first serve basis.
For further information contact Marion O'Brien: email m.o'brien@lse.ac.uk| or phone 020 7955 7048.