Research scientist Anthony Lepinteur from the Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences recently received the prestigious Ruut Veenhoven Award for Happiness Studies and the Young Scholar Award at the 22nd ISQOLS Annual Conference in Malaysia.
The first award recognizes outstanding research in Happiness Studies by a promising researcher who has performed exceptional work, while the second honors substantial contributions to understanding quality-of-life issues. These accolades highlight Lepinteur’s significant research on the effects of labor market reforms on workers’ wellbeing and behaviors.
Anthony Lepinteur is proud of this recognition, which serves as further motivation to continue his innovative work on wellbeing measurement. Lepinteur’s interest in this field began early in his career while evaluating policy reforms. “I noticed that traditional metrics like GDP and employment rates didn’t fully capture how these reforms impacted people’s lives. I was drawn to measures of wellbeing because they provided a more holistic view of how policies affect individuals and communities. Wellbeing metrics, such as life satisfaction, offer a richer understanding of societal progress,” he explains.
‟ I have dedicated myself to a new research agenda focused on the measurement of wellbeing”
Research Scientist, Faculty of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences, Department of Behavihoural and Cognitive Sciences.
The field of economics has long relied on tangible and quantifiable metrics, and there is still resistance to embracing more subjective measures. “This resistance fueled my curiosity to explore this area further,” adds Lepinteur. This curiosity quickly turned into a strong interest: “I have dedicated myself to a new research agenda focused on the measurement of wellbeing. This work aims to address the challenges and find solutions to integrating wellbeing metrics into mainstream economic analysis. By doing so, I hope to demonstrate the value of these measures and encourage their broader acceptance, ultimately leading to more comprehensive and effective policy evaluations,” he concludes.