Cхід (Apr 2013)
Welfare as a sociopsychological category in economics
Abstract
The question of the definition of welfare and the criteria for its measurement, finding ways and means of its formation, occupies a significant place in the history of economic thought. The concept of welfare, and especially its social and psychological characteristics, has never been completely defined, and it still requires thorough research. In modern conditions of human life, a person's welfare reflects the long process of balancing essential biological and physical as well as complex social needs. The dynamic nature of human welfare does not allow one to examine meeting needs by quantifying the ultimate goal or a clearly defined end state. Due to the complex human nature, human welfare has been the subject of research and theoretical generalizations in philosophy, economics, sociology, psychology, ethics, and so on. It has also contributed to the development of interdisciplinary sciences such as economic psychology, behavioral economics, and socioeconomics. The purpose of the article is to emphasize the importance and analyze the possibility of using new interdisciplinary approaches to research welfare. The article examines the socio-ethical and psycho-emotional assessments that arise in the economics of welfare, from the contact of economic, social, and personal interests, at both the global and national levels. On the basis of sociopsychological theories and ethical tenets, the development of welfare economics is analyzed and the possibility of expanding the research subject of social welfare beyond the principle of utility is argued. The author proposes to consider welfare as a dynamic process of meeting the set of economic, social, and psychological needs of human life.
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