Economist to Discuss the Age-Old Question: Does Money Buy Happiness?

WORCESTER, Mass. – Daniel P. Barbezat, professor of economics at Amherst College, will give a lecture titled “Flourishing Economies: Supporting and deepening personal and public awareness” at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 17 in Rehm Library, Smith Hall, at the College of the Holy Cross. The lecture, part of the yearlong economic series “After the Fall: Capitalism and a just way forward,” sponsored by the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture, is free and open to the public.

The series explores the lessons learned from the credit crisis that began in 2007 and offers diverse perspectives on how to construct a new economy that is sustainable and just.

Barbezat’s recent work explores the relationship between habits of consumption and personal well-being and how government policies and economic conditions can affect well-being.  While statistics point to greater well-being among wealthier countries and sectors of society, Barbezat argues that a deepened awareness can increase a sense of self-satisfaction from within, despite external factors. “Happiness is as much an inside job as it is an outside job,” he says.

Barbezat has been a member of the faculty at Amherst College since 1988 and received the Jonathan Hughes Prize for Excellence in Teaching Economic History from the Economic History Association in 2004. He holds a B.A. in economics and philosophy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, and an M.S. and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Illinois at Champaign.

The talks in the lecture series are recorded for podcast and available at Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture. A corresponding Web forum encourages feedback and dialogue to continue online. Additional events will be planned for the spring 2010 semester.

To learn more about this series and to sign up for e-mail updates visit the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture.

About The Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture:

Established in 2001 and housed in Smith Hall, the Center for Religion, Ethics and Culture provides resources for faculty and course development, sponsors conferences and college-wide teaching events, hosts visiting fellows, and coordinates a number of campus lecture series. Rooted in the College's commitment to invite conversation about basic human questions, the Center welcomes persons of all faiths and seeks to foster dialogue that acknowledges and respects differences, providing a forum for intellectual exchange that is interreligious, interdisciplinary, intercultural, and international in scope.  The Center also brings members of the Holy Cross community into conversation with the Greater Worcester community, the academic community, and the wider world to examine the role of faith and inquiry in higher education and in the larger culture.