Want to make people happy? – Fix your democracy first
The secret of happiness in Finland was revealed in the latest Presidential elections
Around 9 PM on 11th of February it was clear, Alexander Stubb would be the next President of Finland. His second-round rival, Pekka Haavisto, congratulated him in the narrowest presidential election in decades, with Stubb getting 51.6 per cent and Haavisto 48.4 per cent of the votes. Shortly after, Stubb exited the TV studio to join his campaign team and supporters waiting for him in a nearby venue.
Stubb, however, did one stop before joining the celebrations with his own supporters. In a surprise move, he appeared on stage in Haavisto’s election-night event. In front of his opponents supporters, he thanked Haavisto for a fair and honest campaign, noting that he is “one of the finest person I’ve ever met.” He promised to work for a united Finland and got an applaud from his rival’s supporters.
If you want to know why Finland is consistently the happiest country according to World Happiness Report and other rankings of citizen life satisfaction, that moment is the key.
In Finland, politics work. Not perfectly, of course. But much better than in almost any other country in the world. Polarization, corruption, politicians serving mainly those who pay for their campaigns – these are the cancer of a good society. They are not completely absent in Finland either. But looking at any international comparison, we see that there is less corruption in Finland and other Nordic countries than anywhere else in the world.
So if you want happy citizens, the recipe is surprisingly simple: Make sure your political institutions serve the citizens, not a narrow elite.
Since the invention of agriculture, the chiefdoms, kingdoms, and empires were serving those at the top of the pyramid. Ordinary people had to pay heavy taxes, die in wars they didn’t start, or serve as slaves.
Then came modern democracy, finally giving the citizens a saying in matters related to them. This liberation of the people had a key role in sparking industrial revolution and all the improvements in quality of life having taken place in the last few centuries. In human history, democracy was the best thing that has happened to ordinary citizens.
Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, democracy is in decline. False news, populist politicians, influence of money in politics, and polarization generated by social media have all contributed to a situation, where many previously stable democracies are struggling.
A case in point, United States dropped several places in latest World Happiness Report, from 15th to 23th, way below all the Nordic countries. Strong economic performance does not help, when it is not serving the citizens.
Research has shown that US political decisions are driven by the opinion of the richest and various business interest groups, with the opinion of average citizens having no influence on the actual politics. No wonder people are so disappointed and mistrustful of the government.
Luckily, democracies can be improved. Unlike countries like Russia, where demonstrating against Putin can land you in jail or get you killed, working to improve democracy is possible in most countries. When citizens get together, and start a movement to drive out corruption from politics, they can achieve results.
In stable democracies, we have started to take democracy for granted, forgetting that democracy does not work without active citizenship. Creeping decline in democracy has its drivers but it is also the result of average citizens passively allowing this to happen.
So, if you are worried about the state of democracy in your own country – or if you simply want to improve your country’s happiness ranking – it is time to get active. Join a movement to make the politics of your country better. That way, you are doing your part in the fight for a better world for us ordinary people.