Richard Layard, economist and author

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The future of happiness 

In this remarkable interview with Andrea Catherwood, Richard Layard calls for a change in culture and goals to tackle the problems of egotism and self-absorption, in order to improve our lives and the lives of others. He examines the purpose of government in assessing happiness and talks about our current goals in society and their impact on our mental health. Discussing Covid-19 and its potential long-term impacts on our happiness, Andrea asks what we can do to change that and whether the pandemic has created any positives in how we view our role in society. Looking at the purpose of work and using management to inspire rather than create fear, is there a chance we could emerge from this with a society in which we value co-operation a lot more strongly?