Interesting Reading

I have been running across some interesting articles I thought I would share. I had mentioned in a previous post that I had started receiving a new magazine, Miller-McCune, that focuses on "turning research into solution." And they have been managing to turn research into interesting articles. I was happy to find one of my favorite social scientists, Tim Kasser, profiled in the cover article of their latest issue. The article "Should the government make us happy?" looks at how we go about measuring the "health" of our country - do we look at the Gross National Product or do we look at "happiness" or the actual physical health United States citizens - these are just some examples. Tim Kasser is a psychologist who has done work on materialism, people's values and goals, and quality of life. He has written two books: The high price of materialism and Psychology and Consumer Culture. So he serves a big role model for me for where I want to go with my research.

Tim had a really interesting link on his website to Redefining Progress, which is:

a public policy think tank dedicated to smart economics. We find solutions that ensure a sustainable and equitable world for future generations. While conventional models for economic growth discount such assets as clean air, safe streets, and cohesive communities, Redefining Progress integrates these assets into a more sustainable economic model. Working with government and advocacy groups, Redefining Progress develops innovative policies that balance economic well-being, environmental preservation, and social justice. Our policy initiatives address pressing environmental issues such as global climate change and natural resource depletion, while ensuring that both the burdens and the benefits of these policies are shared equally among affected communities. We inject ground-breaking ideas into public dialogue, policy discourse, and decision-making in compelling and nonpartisan ways.

The other thing I ran across was a column on MSNBC on "extreme consumerism" - even though it has articles on being frugal, freecylcing, and freegans - so I think it should change it's name to something like "extreme non-consumerism".

I hope you are all enjoying the warmer weather!
~Kirsten