Measuring progress of Philippine society: What makes the poor happy

Type Conference Paper - 11th National Convention on Statistics (NCS)
Title Measuring progress of Philippine society: What makes the poor happy
Author(s)
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2014
URL http://nap.psa.gov.ph/ncs/11thNCS/papers/invited papers/ips-23/01_Measuring Progress of Philippine​Society What Makes the Poor Happy.pdf
Abstract
In 2007, the 2nd OECD World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge, and Policy held in Turkey issued the Istanbul Declaration which highlighted the need to measure progress of societies beyond the conventional economic measures and on which discussion was continued during the 3rd OECD World Forum held in Busan, Korea in 2009. The emerging view in these fora is that while the GDP remains as a very useful instrument to measure economic development, there is a need for supplementary measures that more adequately capture progress of societies, including measures of happiness. More recently, the Stiglitz Commission Report, prepared by Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen et. al., for the President of France Nicholas Sarkozy, came out with essentially the same recommendations. During the 10th National Convention on Statistics, Virola & Encarnacion presented a paper that formulated the Philippine Happiness Index (PHI) using a conceptual framework that, unlike other initiatives on the subject recognizes that different individuals have different sources or domains of happiness. The framework allows individuals to identify their sources of happiness and to give value to the degree of importance of each of these sources. Results were presented using a non random survey of respondents from a group of individuals most of whom were professionals. Since then, presentations were made in various local and international fora, and based on comments received and insights gained, other domains of happiness have been added like love life, sex life, peace and security, and food. On February 10, 2010, the National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) decided that the NSCB should pursue the PHI agenda forward and for NSCB and the National Statistics Office to work as partners in generating the happiness index.

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