GOOD GOVERNANCE AND CITIZEN HAPPINESS: A STUDY IN NCT OF DELHI

Abstract

“Good Governance and Citizen Happiness: a study in NCT of Delhi” explores the role of government policies in enhancing citizen happiness and their broader socio-economic impacts. The study aims to find out the government policies that are highly relevant for citizens in enhancing their happiness. Happiness has now been accepted as a goal of public policy. This has interconnected happiness and governance intricately. Trust in public institutions is crucial for human well-being. Inequality lowers the happiness In devising policy, citizen happiness should be considered as one of the objectives. Though higher GDP and higher per capita income are important but there exists a link between the state of happiness and rule of law. In measuring progress, now researchers are including happiness as one of the measures. How to handle inequality and achieve long-term sustainability appears to be the key challenge of governance and happiness. In the Indian context, very few studies are available to find the role and impact of government policies on citizen happiness. The major gap is the absence of considering the relevance and quality of implementation of multiple policies together in one study. This analysis draws on diverse contexts including India’s Government policies of social welfare, the governance models of Nordic countries, the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in public policy, and the urban development strategies under India’s Smart Cities Mission. In this study methodology has been designed to take perspectives of various stakeholders. The respondents included beneficiaries, policy makers and implementation executives. Primary data was collected using a structured questionnaire with comprehensive scale of 40 items covering different policy dimensions. Tools of Excel and SPSS were used for analysis. vi Techniques of Descriptive analysis to identify patterns, advanced technique of TISM was applied to map relationships while case study provided deeper contextual insights. Government policies of social welfare, law and order, pollution health, education and creating opportunities have been studied and found to improve citizen happiness by ensuring effective resource allocation, efficient implementation mechanisms, and relevance to citizen needs. These policies contribute to a productive and innovative workforce, which in turn promotes a cooperative and sustainable business environment, reinforcing economic growth. Nordic countries have consistently ranked higher in the United Nations World Happiness Report mainly due to four factors: comprehensive social welfare and public services, adherence to rule of law and justice, protection of freedom and human rights, and sustained economic stability. The Total Interpretative Structural Model (TISM) derived from these insights offers a strategic framework for policymakers aiming to replicate such success, enhancing transparency and trust in public institutions. The integration of AI in public policy constitutes an innovative step for efficient policy design and deployment. AI’s capacity to analyse complex demographic and socio-economic data enables simulation of policy scenarios and optimization of resources. Digital governance and data-driven monitoring further ensure effective implementation, bridging gaps between policy intent and impact to enhance citizen happiness. India’s Smart Cities Mission illustrates the application of technology innovation with the aim of improving the quality of life in cities. By implementing, smart economy, smart mobility, smart environment, smart people and smart living, this initiative demonstrates how targeted policies can improve citizen happiness and promote sustainable development. Collectively, these insights affirm that Governments which prioritize citizen wellbeing in their policymaking can stimulate economic growth, enhance social cohesion, and ensure sustainable vii development. However, in this study only select policies have been examined in the setting of Delhi, with respondents drawn from the same region and it is based on descriptive methods, interviews, and case studies. Further work will use factor analysis to identify key drivers & Structural Equation Modelling to establish relationships among them. Future empirical studies can help to confirm relationships between impact of citizen happiness and the business & economic environment and measure their strength more precisely.