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Course Description

Summary

What does it mean to live well—and how do we measure it? This course investigates the idea of standard of living, a concept that captures how well or how poorly individuals and groups are able to meet their needs and pursue meaningful lives. We examine four distinct approaches to understanding living standards: the opulence approach, which defines it in terms of material wealth; the welfare approach, which focuses on the satisfaction or utility derived from goods and services; the multidimensional approach, exemplified by the UN’s Human Development Index, with attention to health, nutrition, and education; and the capability approach, which understands living standards as the real freedom to pursue well-being and other valued ends. Although grounded in economic reasoning, this course draws on insights from philosophy, public health, and development studies to explore how we assess well-being, what we value, and why.

This course has two requirements: [a] Regular attendance and thoughtful participation grounded in close reading of assigned materials.
[b] Timely completion of reading responses and class presentations.

Throughout the semester, you will deepen your economic reasoning while strengthening your capacities for inquiry, engagement, and communication with clarity and care. The broader purpose of this course is to offer you a space to grow as an insightful, collaborative thinker—one who values reciprocity, mutual care, fairness, and intellectual adventure.