Are the French a happy people? Sarkozy wants to find out!!!

The French president has announced a "revolutionary" plan to make joy and wellbeing the key indicators of growth, rather than traditional yardsticks like a country's gross domestic product (GDP).

The new assessment will be based on figures relating to work-life balance, recycling, household chores and even levels of traffic congestion.

Critics have pointed out that measuring "happiness" will make France's struggling economy, famous for its short working week and generous social benefits, look better.

Mr Sarkozy asked US economist Joseph Stiglitz, winner of the 2001 Nobel economics prize and a critic of free-market economists, and Armatya Sen of India, who won the 1998 Nobel Prize for work on developing countries, to come up with the new measures. More...

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