The Happiest Country in the World

It has been said that the strenght of a Nation comes from its people. The people give the Nation what it needs, the people provide the backbone for everything. But why are some nations still better off than others, when some nations have a lot more people than others?

Well, happiness plays a huge part there, it would seem. The happier the people are, the "stronger" the country, at least in most cases. But still, this is a never-ending cicle, since it is considered that wealth, education and health-care are the factors affecting a country's overall happiness. So it was said in a 2006 study conducted by the University of Leicester, in the UK. For this study, the happiest country in the world was Denmark. The free and high-quality education, the health-care options, and the overall GDP made this country really happy.

A study done last year reveals that the happiest country in the world is... Denmark, again! The World Values Survey is conducted by the University of Michigan. This survey asks people just two questions: "How would you rate your happiness?" and "How satisfied are you with your life these days?"

Pretty basic? Perhaps. But still, using two different surveys, Denmark came up as the first place in both of them! So, what are the Danes doing?

Professor Kaare Christensen of the University of Denmark, went out to ask questions to the Danes about why they had been named "The Happiest Country in the World." Their answer? "We have lower expectations." For Danes, not expecting too much, or at least having realistic expectations, helps them to cope with life. A student says they are not so happy as they are content. When asked to describe contentedness, he replied "Well, if you're content you don't have so much to worry about. That's what I think."

So, what do you say? Are Danes happy or just content? It might be one or the other, or maybe the two... but Danemark is still the Happiest Country in the World.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/14/60minutes/main3833797_page2.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody

Read More......

Global Economic Cooperation....G20 Meeting on the way!

I am not going to keep my pleasure a secret! How fitting that we are discussing globalisation and economic integration, whilst under our very noses and in front of our eyes we are witnessing economic events whose impacts are expected to be long-lasting, and perhaps fundamentally change the very nature of the economic system in which we live.

We talk about globalisation, and if you like, you may now say that even regulation is becoming globalised - countries, in the wake of the economic crisis, want to work together more and more, to prevent future problems. Such acts can only serve to economically integrate countries further, albeit without a formal document or agreement.

So my pleasure stems from the fact that all what I speak about in class can be directly connected to the world around us - we are not looking at history, nor are we looking at the future, but today Ladies and Gentlemen. Always take the chance to read and passively learn more - even if you don´t understand everything, constant exposure helps you build knowledge.

A new era of global economic co-operation.


This article written by the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown discusses his (and we can assume the British people) views on what must be done at the upcoming G20 meeting. I want to draw your attention to two parts:

"Now is not the time to lose our focus, however – the recovery is not automatic – rather it is the moment to redouble our efforts. We must not switch off the life support we are giving to our economies. People are still losing their jobs, their homes and – in some cases – their hope and we must not fail them. Complacency is the enemy of recovery.

So at next week's G20 Summit in Pittsburgh concerted international co-operation is again required. To this end, I am proposing a new global compact to entrench economic recovery and secure stability, growth and jobs."


Here, he proposes his idea for a "global compact." Later, he goes on to say......

"Our international financial institutions have a vital role in supporting this drive to recovery and growth, so I have been consulting widely within the G20 and beyond to develop proposals on modernising them.

They must be better placed to meet the challenges of globalisation, promote sustainable global growth and prevent and respond to future crises."

And there you have the connection with globalisation. You see how international institutions, economic globalisation, and the world economy in general, are all connected?

Comments on this article, and an exploration of your own thoughts, are as always most welcome.

Read More......

A future for the European Union?

-
I continue to come across articles that warrant a view for those interested in this topic.

Does the EU have a future?

This article has a Euro-sceptic point of view, and supposes that the European Union will become more irrelevant as the shape of the world order and of the international system are taken into account.

The opinion of the state of the world in the 21st Century is made clear from the beginning, and I quote:

"Broadly speaking, the world is run at the outset of the 21st Century by the United States and China together in uneasy condominium. This is the surprising reality of our era. The pattern is unlikely to change much until India takes its full place, perhaps in 40 years."

This gives us an indication from the beginning of the tone that we can continue to expect. Pay attention to how the article believes that the economic crisis has essentially revived economic nationalism and the idea of "national needs first, European (EU) needs second."

We are also given, although in brief, an overview of the apparatus that the EU now has at its disposal, including a single currency, a Euro army, and a "foreign office" - referring to the diplomatic network of the EU. The article focuses on the Lisbon treaty towards the end........all themes that we will pick up on in class......

I thoroughly hope that you will feel a little "EU saturation" by the end of my class. Please feel free to comment on some of the issues raised in this blog, particularly on the ideas of balance of power and Europe´s future place in the world - what do you feel the author is really trying to say and would you agree with his views?

I encourage you to post comments and please send me a Webtec message to add your matricula to the label.

Thank you.

Read More......