In anticipation of the publication of the 2022 World Happiness Report, Aalto University has experts available to comment on what happiness means in this context and how this small country ensures its residents’ well-being.
Our experts are available to talk about the basis of Finland’s success: smart urban planning, a society of trust, responsive democratic institutions, and a tax system that provides for the people.
Frank Martela, an expert on the basis of Finland’s happiness, addresses the importance of monitoring well-being, and how national governments and institutions use this to guide policies in order to keep people healthy and happy. Professor Marketta Kyttä offers expertise on how the design of Finland’s cities makes people feel happy and safe. These policies are supported by a progressive taxation underpinning the country’s reliable institutions and strong welfare system, explains Professor Timo Viherkenttä, and ordinary people benefit from this system.
Finland topped the rankings of subjective well-being in 2018-2021. Information about the publication of this year’s report is available on the World Happiness Report website.
Aalto University experts are available to comment on following themes:
Measuring and maintaining well-being
Frank Martela is a philosopher and researcher of psychology specialized in meaningfulness, happiness, and how organizations and countries can unleash human potential. His book A Wonderful Life – Insights on Finding a Meaningful Experience (HarperCollins 2020) has been translated into 24 languages, including French, Spanish, German, Japanese, Korean, and Indonesian.
Martela has become one of the key experts on why Finland is so happy. He has written about the topic for Scientific American Observer and co-authored a chapter on the Nordic countries for the 2020 Word Happiness Report. Martela has been interviewed by The New York Times, Vice News, Le Monde, and the Monocle Observer. He earned his first PhD in organizational research (Aalto University, 2012) and his second PhD in practical philosophy (University of Helsinki, 2019).
Urban planning to make people feel healthy and safe
Marketta Kyttä, professor of land use planning, studies child- and human-friendly environments, environments that promote wellbeing and health, urban lifestyles, perceived safety, as well as new methods for public participation. Her multidisciplinary research team is currently focused on the place-based, person-environment research with public participation, using geographic information system methodology. The team has also worked on numerous real-life public participation projects in Finnish cities and abroad.
High rewards from high taxes
Timo Viherkenttä is a professor of business law with extensive experience in tax law and the economy. He was the CEO of the State Pension Fund of Finland (2015-2020), and has also served as Justice of the Supreme Administrative Court, as well as Director General of the Budget Department at the Finnish Ministry of Finance.
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