David McDaid is Senior Research Fellow in Health Policy and Health Economics at LSE Health and Social Care and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Cary L. Cooper is Distinguished Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University.

Part of the six-volume Wellbeing: A Complete Reference Guide, this is a comprehensive look at the economics of wellbeing with coverage of history, research, policy, and practice.
* Examines the challenges inherent in studying and measuring wellbeing from an economic perspective
* Discusses strategies and interventions to improve wellbeing across the lifespan and in different settings
* Addresses the potential economic benefits for governments and policymakers of actively investing in initiatives to improve wellbeing, from the workplace to the home to the natural environment
* Emphasizes the need to strengthen the evidence base for the economics of wellbeing and improve methods for translating research into policy and practice

About the Editors vii
Contributors ix
Full Contents of Wellbeing: A Complete Reference Guide xi
Introduction to Wellbeing: A Complete Reference Guide xxv
1 Introduction 1
David McDaid and Cary L. Cooper
Part 1 Perspectives on the Economics of Wellbeing 11
2 A Short History of Wellbeing Research 13
Laura Stoll
3 Income and Wellbeing: A Selective Review 33
Brendan Kennelly
4 Does Money Buy Me Love? Testing Alternative Measures of National Wellbeing 49
Arthur Grimes, Les Oxley, and Nicholas Tarrant
5 The Impact of the Great Recession on Economic Wellbeing: How Different Are OECD Nations and Why? 83
Lars Osberg and Andrew Sharpe
6 Was the Economic Crisis of 2008 Good for Icelanders? Impact on Health Behaviours 111
Tinna Laufey Asgeirsdottir, Hope Corman, Kelly Noonan, Porhildur Olafsdottir, and Nancy E. Reichman
7 Mental Health: A New Frontier for Labor Economics 157
Richard Layard
Part 2 Promoting Wellbeing: The Economic Case for Action 179
8 Investing in the Wellbeing of Young People: Making the Economic Case 181
David McDaid, A-La Park, Candice Currie, and Cara Zanotti
9 Investing in Wellbeing in the Workplace: More Than Just a Business Case 215
David McDaid and A-La Park
10 Promoting the Health and Wellbeing of Older People: Making an Economic Case 239
A-La Park, David McDaid, Anna K. Forsman, and Kristian Wahlbeck
11 Promoting and Protecting Mental Wellbeing during Times of Economic Change 261
David McDaid and Kristian Wahlbeck
12 Making Use of Evidence from Wellbeing Research in Policy and Practice 285
David McDaid
Index 299