Buổi 25: Writing Task 2 – Opinion: đo thành công quốc gia bằng hạnh phúc thay vì tăng trưởng? Phản bác từ “rather than” trong đề

For decades, the performance of national governments has been judged largely by the rate at which their economies grow. The suggestion that happiness should take its place is an attractive one, and I agree that wellbeing deserves far more attention than it receives. However, I do not believe it should replace economic growth as a measure of success; rather, the two should be considered together.

There are strong reasons to doubt that growth alone tells us whether a country is doing well. An economy can expand while many people work longer hours, breathe dirtier air or feel less secure in their jobs, and a narrow focus on output may encourage short-term decisions whose costs appear only later. Growth, after all, is a means rather than an end in itself: people want rising incomes largely because they hope to live better lives. Measuring how people actually feel about their lives would therefore keep policy-makers focused on what ultimately matters.

Yet relying on happiness instead of growth would create problems of its own. Wellbeing scores are subjective, and answers to survey questions can be influenced by factors that have nothing to do with government policy, from the weather to the order in which questions are asked. A government judged solely on such figures might also be tempted to manage public mood rather than public services. Moreover, economic growth, for all its limitations, pays for the hospitals, schools and pensions on which many people's wellbeing depends.

In my view, the sensible course is to treat wellbeing data as a supplement to economic indicators, not a substitute for them. Some governments have already begun to publish both side by side, which allows citizens to ask not only whether the economy is growing, but whether that growth is making their lives better. In short, happiness should become one of the tests of a successful country, but not the only one.

Proposal: At present, our team is assessed mainly on the number of support tickets closed each week. I suggest we add a short two-question customer survey after each ticket, asking whether the problem was solved and how easy the process was. This would show whether speed is coming at the expense of quality, and could be collected automatically through our existing system.