Happiness Economics: a Scoping Review

Abstract

This article examines the field of happiness economics focusing on non-economic factors that contribute to socio-economic progress. The authors argue for the inclusion of subjective assessments in economic decision-making processes. The growing body of research on happiness economics and subjective well-being has provided significant evidence for the importance of new practices, approaches, and analysis methods in measuring socio-economic progress. The authors highlight the need to consolidate these achievements in the field. The proposed methodology for this research synthesis is a scoping review, which is not widely used yet. This article offers an opportunity to familiarize oneself with this new methodology and gain a comprehensive understanding of the main achievements, key trends, and unexplored areas of the subjective well-being economics. The authors believe that their "research about research" will help clarify the meaning of "happiness" in economics, identify primary research focuses, and describe causal relationships between subjective well-being factors and various aspects of economic life.