Constitutionalization of Happiness: A Global and Comparative Inquiry

Abstract

Happiness and well-being are now explicitly enshrined in a myriad of national constitutions. As of 2022, the terms happiness and well-being form part of the constitutional lexicon of more than 20 and 110 states respectively. These happiness provisions epitomize the phenomenon of the constitutionalization of happiness, which denotes the process of elevating happiness to the constitutional echelon, thereby bearing discernible legal and political implications. An audit of all happiness provisions reveals that they boil down to three categories - happiness as a national objective, happiness as a policy paradigm, and the pursuit of happiness as a human right. The meaning and jurisprudential landscape of happiness provisions within a specific constitutional framework is molded by, on top of the semantic and structural configuration, a dynamic interplay among three factors, which include the indigenous and socio-cultural conception of happiness of that state, interpretations put forward by judges and other constitutional actors, and transnational influences such as the migration of constitutional ideas and jurisprudence. This article draws upon an extensive array of case studies, covering among others Bhutan, Bolivia, Ecuador, Japan, Korea, and Nigeria, to illustrate the breadth and diversity that enliven the universe of happiness provisions.