To what Extend can a Measure of National Income (GDP) Give an Coursework

To what Extend can a Measure of National Income (GDP) Give an Indication on How Well a Population is Doing - Coursework Example These assumptions and suggestions from both sides will be analyzed as to which side is actually more capable to justify their stance. David Cameron, the British prime minister, stated at near the end of 2010 that happiness cannot be measured by money and that it was time when the humans gained some maturity and realize that money is not the most important thing in life and there are other factors such as family, culture and relationships which influence the happiness of a person (Stratton, 2010). What Mr. David Cameron and his advisors suggest here that rather than GDP, the Gross National Happiness (GNP) is a more accurate measure of the people’s happiness. The concept of GNH or Gross National Happiness was first introduced in 1972 by the Bhutanese King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who coined this term in an effort to ensure that the society was truly happy from inside and not just motivated by money. Research then started on this topic and there were several suggestions which com bined to form the satisfaction and happiness in a person’s life. ... forums, it has been argued that money is not the only contributing factor to wellness and happiness, but they admit that it is one of the most important factors. The argument, that there are more important things in life that contributes to the true development of humans, is based upon the simple observation that the richest countries in the world are not necessarily the happiest. Philippines is not a very rich country and their gross domestic product per capita is considered at around $3500 which makes it clear that there are economies and nations who have much higher GDP per capita than that of Philippines. If GDP would really have been the only contributor in the wellness and happiness of a person, then there would have been much happier nations around than Philippines. However, this is not true because the Filipinos are considered to be one of the happiest nations in the world and they are always smiling around very much satisfied with their life. The main reason of the happiness and satisfaction of their life despite their low GDP is the culture and the presence of their families. Philippines have a very collectivist lifestyle and they like to live with their families and prefer their own culture rather than adopting it from outside their community. When they get this culture, it is only fitting that they are happy in what they have. (Cassandra, 2010) Figure 1: United Kingdom GDP Growth Rate (Trading Economics, n.d.) The figure above, Figure 1, shows the changes in the gross domestic product in United Kingdom in the year 2011. The graph shows that the there were fluctuations in the GDP growth rate throughout the different quarters of financial year 2011-12. However, this does not necessarily means that the happiness and well being of the UK population was also

HISTORY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HISTORY - Essay Example Alexander thus was a far better war tactician than Caesar. However when comparing merits as a ruler, it is not just war exploits and successes that need to be considered, but the issue of what was done for their people, and were the people better off under their rule and subsequent to their rule. At the age of twenty Alexander succeeded his father King Phillip as King of Macedonia. He spent the next few years consolidating his power among the Greek nations, and by 334 BC was ready to set out to conquer the world, though handicapped with a small army, no navy, and lacking in the means to finance his dreams. Still he crossed over into Asia Minor to begin the conquest of the Persian Empire. He conquered Asia Minor and at Syria met the forces of the Persian King Darius and defeated them. Darius fled to Mesopotamia. Alexander took Palestine an Egypt and then turned his eyes on Mesopotamia. He soon conquered Mesopotamia. The vast lands and wealth of the great Persian Empire was all his now. He then turned his attention to Afghanistan and India. He gained Afghanistan and a hold on the north-western parts of India, At this point he had to turn back, as his army had become restless with so many years of fighting away from home. His eastward thrust thus ended in 327 BC, just seven years after he had set out. There is no doubt that no ruler ever has achieved so much in conquests in so limited a period of time (Alexander the Great). The driving force behind Alexander’s dreams of conquering the world is a much debated topic. The debate remains on whether wanting to spread Greek civilization or whether it was his megalomania that was the cause. However there is agreement in that his conquests and the speed at which they were executed remain with a parallel in history. However, the same speed with which the conquests were seen in the collapse of his empire after his death. In that sense his conquests did