Join us as we delve into the intricacies of the World Happiness Report with the distinguished Professor Emeritus John Helliwell. As a founding editor of the report, Professor Helliwell shares the origins of the report, the methodology behind measuring happiness, and the profound implications of the findings.

Discover the pivotal role of the 2011 UN Resolution supported by Bhutan, the importance of subjective well-being data, and how the report has evolved to influence global perspectives on happiness and well-being. Learn about the top-ranking countries and the factors that contribute to their success, as well as surprising findings from this year's report.

Professor Helliwell also explores the significance of social connections, trust, and benevolence, shedding light on how these elements impact our daily lives and national policies. This episode is a deep dive into the science of happiness and a call to integrate well-being into every aspect of decision-making.

Tune in to understand how we can all contribute to a happier, more compassionate world.

Resources

The World Happiness Report 2024: https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2024/

The Gallup poll:

https://news.gallup.com/poll/612125/happiest-country-earth.aspx

Sustainable Development Solutions Network:

https://www.gallup.com/analytics/247355/gallup-world-happiness-report.aspx

What's the happiest country in the world?

https://news.gallup.com/poll/612125/happiest-country-earth.aspx

The Wellbeing Research Centre, University of Oxford: https://wellbeing.hmc.ox.ac.uk/

Professor Helliwell’s book recommendation:

Gawande, A. (2014). Being mortal: Medicine and what matters in the end. Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt and Company.

https://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/

Where to listen to this episode

• Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
• YouTube:

Content

Guest: John Helliwell

Host, producer and editor: Amy Smith

Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

In this episode, Emil Seidenfaden, an historian presently undertaking postdoctoral research at the Saxo Institute, University of Copenhagen, joined us to talk about his recent book, Informing Interwar Internationalism.

This fascinating work combines international history and media history and explores the intersection of journalism and diplomacy at the time of the League of Nations.

Emil talks about the relationship between public information and legitimacy, and how the Information Section officials at the League negotiated the tensions between propaganda, public opinion and internationalism.

Resources

Seidenfaden, E. E. (2024). Informing Interwar Internationalism: The Information Strategies of the League of Nations. Bloomsbury Academic. Histories of Internationalism

Seidenfaden, E. E. (2020). Daniel Hucker, Public Opinion and Twentieth-Century Diplomacy. A Global Perspective. Leiden: Brill.

Potter, S. J. (2023). Broadcasting in the Cause of Peace: Regulating International Radio Propaganda in Europe, 1921–1939. The International History Review, 45(6), 843–864. https://doi.org/10.1080/07075332.2023.2224352

Sweetser, A. (1916) Roadside Glimpses of the Great War. Macmillan. London.

Covenant of the League of Nations: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/ld.php?content_id=32971179

The League of Nations Information Section: https://libraryresources.unog.ch/LONSecretariat/information

Emil’s book recommendation:

Cohen, D. (2023). Last Call at the Hotel Imperial. The Reporters Who Took On A World At War. Penguin Random House.

Where to listen to this episode

• Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
• YouTube:

Content

Guest: Emil Seidenfaden

Host, producer and editor: Amy Smith

Recorded & produced at the United Nations Library & Archives Geneva

Pour cet épisode, nous sommes enchantés d’accueillir Pierre Van Den Dungen pour parler d’Henri La Fontaine, un homme intense et fascinant gratifié du prix Nobel de la Paix en 1913.

Pierre Van Den Dungen, docteur en Philosophie et Lettres (Histoire), a consulté la totalité des papiers personnels de La Fontaine au Mundaneum, à Mons, afin de rédiger la biographie intitulée « Henri La Fontaine, prix Nobel de la Paix 1913 : une vie » publiée aux Editions Samsa en 2022. Pierre Van Den Dungen nous présente les grandes lignes de la personnalité de La Fontaine, en mettant en lumière son entourage, ses réseaux et sa sphère intime. Il explore ensuite les convictions pacifistes et mondialistes de La Fontaine, ainsi que son long mandat de 36 ans à la présidence du Bureau international de la Paix. Il traite également de la période de la vie de La Fontaine durant la Première Guerre mondiale, de son implication au sein de la Société des Nations, pour finalement évoquer les dernières années de sa vie durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

Ressources

Van den Dungen, Pierre. (2022) Henri La Fontaine, prix Nobel de la Paix 1913 : une vie. Bruxelles. Editions Samsa. https://www.henrilafontaine.be/ouvrage/henri-la-fontaine-2/

Rencontre avec Pierre Van Den Dungen : https://www.henrilafontaine.be/2023/01/07/chaire-hlf-rencontre-avec-pierre-van-den-dungen/

Fondation Henri La Fontaine : https://www.henrilafontaine.be/la-fondation/

Mundaneum : http://www.mundaneum.org/fr

Discours d’Henri La Fontaine, 8ème séance plénière de la première Assemblée de la Société des Nations, 20 novembre 1920 (p. 171 du PDF) : https://archives.ungeneva.org/the-records-of-the-first-assembly-plenary-meetings

Description des archives du Bureau International de la Paix (1891-1951) : https://archives.ungeneva.org/international-peace-bureau

Où écouter cet épisode

• Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-next-page/id1469021154
• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/10fp8ROoVdve0el88KyFLy
• YouTube: Henri La Fontaine, un enragé de la paix avec Pierre Van den Dungen (youtube.com)

Contenu

Invité : Pierre Van den Dungen

Hôte : Hermine Diebolt

Réalisation : Amy Smith

Enregistré et réalisé à la Bibliothèque & Archives des Nations Unies à Genève