| Since the human society, seeking happiness exists in the social structure of all the historical development eternally. Our country in recent years, "happiness" has become a heated discussion leading topic. It has become the theme of social development to build a happy society, to construct happy China and to realize Chinese dream of National prosperity, rejuvenation and the people’s happiness. Under this background, it is necessary to draw lessons from the happiness theory of western economics. Because happiness is the ultimate goal of human pursuit, as well as the everlasting discussion topic of political, economic and social development of history and reality, it has been deeply rooted in all kinds of thought and theory of history. Therefore, this paper take "the goal and starting point of economic study is happiness" as the main line, explore and analysis the happiness ideas in classical economics.This paper systematically combs the happiness theories since the birth of economics, especially from 1790-the final revision of Theory of Moral Sentiments of Adam Smith to 1890-Marshall published the Principles of Economics, the 100 years of happiness economics.And on the basis of reflecting on the happiness course of the classical economics, this paper tries to build up the happiness theoretical system of the classical economics.First of all, for theoretical part. The discussion baseline of this paper is Smith’s view of happiness and his proposal of the construction of happy society, on which the thesis is divided into the happiness thoughts before the classical economics and the happiness thoughts of the classical economics. The happiness thoughts before the classical economics talk about the happiness theories from the ancient Greece to Smith, mainly involved happiness theories of Xenophon, Mandeville, mercantilism, physiocracy and subjective theory. This paper thinks that the happiness thoughts before the classical economics provided a preparation for Smith’s view of happiness and his proposal of the construction of happy society. Secondly, this thesis analyzes Smith’s view of happiness, proposes and clarifies the arrival of happiness revolution and discusses the feasible way to human happiness from the perspective of human nature, institution or government, wealth and virtue. Based on this, the paper thinks that the thought which Smith explained in his two master piecesis trying to build a rich and free happy society. Therefore, this paper argues that Smith is the founder of happy thought in classical economics. The economics and economists after him make their efforts within the framework of happy society that Smith established to achieve his idea of happy society.Therefore, within the framework of classical economics, this paper tries to construct a happiness theoretical system of classical economics on the basis of the happy society model established by Smith, that is, the happiness blueprint drawn by economists during the 100 years from Smith’s happiness building to Marshall’s happiness mansion, according to their own experiences, knowledge and social background.In treating the happy society established by Smith, Thomas Malthus and David Ricardo are pessimists, Bastiatis an optimist, Bentham, Sismondi and the marginal school are proponents, Senior is an opponent, Thompson is a conflict, Muller is neutral, Marshall is an integrator. Their thoughts of happiness enriched Smith’s happy society model from different perspectives, and provided intellectual support and motivation for the promotion of human welfare.Secondly, for the empirical part. This paper systematically analyzes and mines kernel of the happiness of the classic economics and induces to find the core factors of kernel of the happiness, the key factor of the classical economics can be summarized as wealth, humanity, virtue, population, trade, and institution, so, we think that independent variables is wealth, humanity, virtue, population, trade, and the institution and the dependent variable is happiness. The paper sets model is happiness = f (wealth, humanity, virtue, population, trade, institution), but because of humanity and virtue variables have some difficulty in the measure and the population variables is characteristics variables in the model for exploration. In the end, we set a model for: happiness= f (wealth, trade, institution). On the basis of this model, we apply the Chinese general social survey database CGSS2005 to test happiness kernel of classical economics.The empirical research shows that:(1) The research of relationship between the income and residents’happiness. Overall, income has a significant impact on the well-being of the residents in our country. From the point of its sub-index, absolute income is inverted u-shaped relationship, relative income has a significant effect on residents’well-being, the income gap has a significant negative effect on residents’ happiness, income expenditure has a significant effect on residents’happiness. (2) From relationship between the institution and residents’happiness. The institution has a significant positive effect on residents’well-being. From the point of sub-index, the government efficiency, property rights and public goods supply have significant positive effect on residents’happiness. (3) From the relationship of foreign trade and residents’happiness. Foreign trade has a significant positive effect on residents’ well-being. From the point of sub-index, total imports and exports have significantly positive effect on residents’happiness. (4) From the results based on sub-group. Whether high earners or low income earners, urban residents and rural residents, residents in the east and Midwest area, income of residents’happiness all have significant positive effects. Institution and foreign trade impact on high earners, urban residents and east area is no significant, but the low-income earners, rural residents and the Midwest area have significant positive effect. From income Sub-index for the Sub-group, the absolute income, relative income and income expenditure of different groups have a significant impact, but the income gap of high earners, urban residents and east area is no significant, but the low-income earners, rural residents and the Midwest have significant positive effect. From trade Sub-index for the Sub-group, from import trade and export trade of high earners, eastern residents and urban residents do not exist significant, but the low-income and rural residents and the Midwest area have significant positive effect. From institution Sub-index for the Sub-group, the government efficiency, property rights and public goods supply on high earners, urban residents and the eastern does not exist significant, but the low-income earners, rural residents and the Midwest have significant positive effect. In short, the foreign trade and the institution construction by the reform and opening bring to improve people’s living standards and the ascension of happiness to show that the thought of happiness kernel of classical economics has theoretical value and practical significance.Finally, through the theoretical explanation and empirical research, this article can draw some important policy implications. With the remarkable achievements in its economy, a revolution aimed at happiness of the people’s livelihood is emerging.Nowadays as we are constructing "happy China", rejuvenating "China Dream", this determines the policy must focus on happiness as its development goal.Therefore, we must:To change ideas, to speed up the efficiency economics to happiness economics. To Attention to a disadvantaged minority, to reduce happiness "gap", to improve the livelihood of the people happiness. To increase the intensity of opening to the outside world, to improve the happiness of all levels of residents.To speed up the institution construction, to construct happiness politics and to escort the people’s livelihood happiness. |
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