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Happiness is our own individual responsibility, but the government ultimately shapes the society in which we live. You can keep the country running perfectly well in a way that makes everybody miserable - or you can change things and make it easier for people to find happiness. I think it's a question of providing opportunity and switching focus from money to wellbeing. Our personal wealth is also our individual responsibility, but the government has the responsibility to create a helpful economic environment. What exactly is the role of the government - does the UK government have such a thing as a mission statement outlining what they are trying to achieve? Is the the role of a constitution - maybe we should have one of these! The other part of the argument is that happy behaviour tends to be more environmentally sustainable, which is something we all need to think about urgently.