GOOD GOVERNANCE AND HAPPINESS OF CITIZENS

Abstract

The right to happiness, part of human rights belonging to the third generation, is the result of globalization and the evolution of human rights over time. At the same time, the happiness and well-being of citizens are premises that underlie the creation and adoption of public policies, aiming at ensuring good governance. Good governance means, among many other definitions given in the literature, also the happiness of citizens and the ways in which it can be achieved. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and identify these premises, from the perspective of human rights and public authorities; in order to benefit of a good governance which can help ensure the happiness of citizens and also the guarantee of citizen rights, transparency, effective public policies and trust are needed. The aim is to investigate some aspects that can confirm the idea that good governance is interconnected with citizens’ standard of living and happiness and contributes to guaranteeing and promoting their rights.