Edx SDG Academy Sustainable Development: The Post-Capitalist Order - Chapter 1 & 2

Chapter 1
Model for future sustainable economy is the economic systems in countries in northern Europe, social democratic countries.

Chapter 2
Sustainable development is important because the three main goals of SDGs, economic development, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability will produce human well-being, for which economic, social, and political institutions should be established.

Great thinkers took happiness into consideration in discussing how society should be. Contrary to Adam Smith, who discussed how nations can achieve wealth in the Wealth of Nations (1776: the year of the declaration of Independence and steam engine), and Niccolo Machiavelli, who discussed how to hold and maintain power in The Prince, Aristotle argued that not wealth or power but well-being is the purpose of politics of polis, city state, in The Politics and Nicomachean Ethics.

There are two types of ideas of well-being. Affective well-being is a short-term, emotional well-being. A related question is "Are you happy?" Aristotle's eudaimonia is evaluative well-being, reflective or contemplative well-being.  A related questions is "How do you evaluate your life?" The concern of present psychologists is affective well-being. There are some indexes of affective well-being. The survey of Gallup International published every year includes a question that ask people evaluate their happiness as one of the rungs of a ladder.(Cantril Ladder) The finding give insight to what contributes to sustainable development.

Indexes showing happiness always include countries in northern Europe.
Top 12 of SDG and happiness indexes include 8 European, especially northern European, countries. Top 12 of GDP include different countries from those of SDG and happiness indexes. For example, the United States is the wealthiest nation of the world but it is not among the nations ranked in SDG and happiness indexes. Therefore, "if we are really after well-being, it's not enough to pursue the wealth of nations, we have to pursue the sustainable development of nations." (Jeffery Sachs)