Happiness as a normative goal in public policy

The inability of GDP, which is seen as a measure of social welfare and progress, to reflect subjective well-being, has gradually become a mechanism of criticism by economists and public politicians, both theoretically and empirically. While there is a large and highly controversial literature devoted to understanding the economic, social, and political implications of the welfare state, little attention has been paid to the fundamental question of whether social security programs actually improve the happiness and overall quality of human life. The basis of happiness is very old, and the American Declaration of Independence published in 1776 clearly states that the pursuit of happiness is an inalienable right comparable to life and freedom, and we also see that centuries ago, philosophers often based the achievement of happiness as the ultimate goal of life. With the social developments since then, especially after the 2000s, after the 2008 Economic Crisis broke out, important international organizations such as the OECD and the UN, the fact that the GDP's lack of reflecting welfare was discussed and voiced, bureaucrats and public makers has caused attention to this issue. Thus, many social scientists argue that the time has come to extend policymakers' traditional focus on material well-being and economic development to include the impact of policies on how people think and feel about their lives. In the study, it is focused on the necessity of using social indicators in addition to economic indicators such as GDP, while serving human happiness, quality of life and subjective well-being, and thus determining the area of action in line with more accurate policies. Keywords: Happiness, GDP, Subjective well-being, Quality of life, Public policy