John Forbes Helliwell

O.C., B.Comm. (U.B.C.), M.A., D.Phil. (Oxford), D.Litt. (Guelph, New Brunswick, Waterloo), LL.D. (McMaster), F.R.S.C.

Contact

Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia
6000 Iona Drive, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1L4
Email: john.helliwell@ubc.ca
Phone: 604 822 4953
Office: Iona Building 141C
Personal website: https://blogs.ubc.ca/helliwell/
VSE profile: https://economics.ubc.ca/profile/john-helliwell/

Current Positions

Professor Emeritus, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia, 2003–
Distinguished Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR), 2017–
Founding co-editor, World Happiness Report, 2012–

Education

Prince of Wales High School, Vancouver, 1950–54
University of British Columbia, 1954–59, B.Comm.; Rhodes Scholar, 1959
St. John's College, Oxford, 1959–61 (Philosophy, Politics and Economics); M.A. (Oxford)
Research Student, Nuffield College, Oxford, 1962–64; D.Phil. in Economics, 1965

University of British Columbia

Professor Emeritus, 2003–
Professor of Economics, 1971–2002
Associate Professor, 1967–1971
Sessional Lecturer (Economics), 1961–62
Head of Economics Department, 1989–1991
Member of Senate, 1989–1991 and 1999–2002

Other Professional Experience

Research Staff, Royal Commission on Banking and Finance, 1962–63
Research Staff, Royal Commission on Taxation, 1963–64
Lecturer, St. Peter's College, Oxford, 1964–65
Research Fellow, Nuffield College, Oxford, 1965–67
Econometric Research Consultant, Bank of Canada, 1965–80, and Reserve Banks of Australia and New Zealand, 1971 and 1977
Managing Editor, Canadian Journal of Economics, 1979–82
Visiting Fellow, Institute for International Economic Studies, Stockholm, 1979 and 1983
Research Associate, National Bureau of Economic Research, 1980–2023
Chairman, Economic Advisory Panel to the Federal Minister of Finance, 1982–84
Senior Consultant, OECD, Paris, 1983–84
President, Canadian Economics Association, 1985–86
Clifford Clark Visiting Economist, Department of Finance, Ottawa, 1987–89
Member, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 1989–93
Member, Royal Commission on National Passenger Transportation, 1989–92
W. L. Mackenzie King Visiting Professor of Canadian Studies, Harvard University, 1991–94
Member of International Economic Advisory Group to Ukraine, 1994
Fulbright Fellow and Co-chair of Canada Program, Harvard University, 1995–96
Christensen Fellow, St Catherine's College, Oxford, 2001
Member, National Statistics Council, 2001–2015
International Advisory Board, Centre for International Governance Innovation, 2002–2010
Visiting Research Fellow, Merton College, Oxford, 2003
Visiting Special Advisor, Bank of Canada, 2003–04
Killam Visiting Fellow, Institute for Advanced Policy Research, University of Calgary, January–April 2005
Arthur A.E. Child Foundation Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, 2005–2012
Co-director, CIFAR Program on Social Interactions, Identity and Well-Being, 2005–2017
Distinguished Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, 2017–

Honours and Awards

Valedictorian of U.B.C. Graduating Class of 1959
Rhodes Scholar for British Columbia, 1959
Kiwanis Club Gold Medal and Prize as Head of Graduating Class, U.B.C., 1959
Canada Council Doctoral Fellowship, 1962–64
Killam Senior Research Fellowship, Canada Council, 1970
Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, 1976
Certificate of Merit for Excellence in Teaching, UBC, 1977 (Master Teacher Awards)
Jacob Biely Research Prize, U.B.C., 1978
Distinguished Alumnus Award, Faculty of Commerce, U.B.C., 1979
Killam Research Prize, U.B.C., 1987
Officer of the Order of Canada, 1987
U.B.C. 75th Anniversary Award, 1990
125th Anniversary Medal, Canada, 1992
Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Guelph, 1994
Douglas Purvis Prize, 1999
Honorary Doctor of Laws, McMaster University, 2000
Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of New Brunswick, 2001
Queen's Golden Jubilee Award, Canada, 2003
Donner Prize, 2002–03
Queen's Diamond Jubilee Award, Canada, 2013
Fellow, Canadian Economics Association, 2013
Award for the Betterment of the Human Condition, International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, 2014 (to the World Happiness Report, with Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs)
Honorary Doctor of Letters, University of Waterloo, 2022
King Charles III Coronation Medal, Canada, 2025
Distinguished QOL Researcher Award, International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS), 2026

Main Interests in Economics

Quantitative macroeconomics, national and international
Comparative empirical studies of economic growth
International economics, including the effects of national borders
Taxation and monetary policy
Natural resources, energy and environmental issues
Economic effects of institutions, including social capital
Well-being and social capital
Economics of happiness (since 1998)

Service to the Community: Academic, Community and Government Boards and Commissions

Consumers Association of Canada, Economic Advisory Panel, 1970s
Consumers Association of Canada (B.C.), Vice-President, 1970–1974
Canadian Economics Association (member since 1962): Member of Executive; Managing Editor of the Canadian Journal of Economics, 1979–82; Vice-President, 1984–85; President, 1985–86
Econometric Society (member 1965–1996): Member of the Programme Committee for the Tokyo World Congress, 1995
Vancouver Institute, Member of Executive, 1968–72
Western Institute for the Deaf (member since 1967), Board Member, 1968–70
Advisor on tax reform to the House of Commons Finance Committee, 1970
Member of Economic Advisory Panel, Consumer and Corporate Affairs, 1973–75
Member of Economic Advisory Panel, Time Canada, 1974–75
Economic Advisory Panel to the Prime Minister, 1974
Chair of Advisory Group to Investigate Mining Taxation in British Columbia, 1975
Member of Economic Advisory Panel, Maclean's, 1976
Royal Society of Canada (Fellow since 1976), no offices
Member of the Advisory Panel on Inflation and the Taxation of Investment Income, 1981–82
Chair of Economic Advisory Panel to the Federal Minister of Finance, 1982–84
Member of Macroeconomic Advisory Panel to the Royal Commission on Canada's Economic Prospects, 1983–85; also author of a study on economic productivity and growth
Energy Probe Research Foundation, Board Member, 1988–89 and 1992–94
Member of the Royal Commission on National Passenger Transportation, 1989–92
Member of the Senior Advisory Group to the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy, 1991–92
Member of three-person International Advisory Group to the Government of Ukraine, 1994
Member of Academic Advisory Panel, Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, 1995
Member of Programme Advisor Group, Canadian Ditchley Foundation, 1999–
Member, Academic Advisor Council on Canadian Trade Policy, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, 1999–2001
British Columbia Economic Forecast Council, Member, 1999–2002
Institute for Research on Public Policy, Board Member, 1999–2007
Social Research and Demonstration Corporation, Board Member, 2002–2015
Founding Board Director, later Member of the Council of Advisors, International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA), 2007–
Member, Advisory Forum on Measuring National Well-being, UK Office for National Statistics, 2011–2014
Member, World Wellbeing Panel, 2016–

Editorial Positions

Founding co-editor, World Happiness Report, 2012–
Founding Member of Editorial Board, Canadian Public Policy, 1974–77
Founding Member of Editorial Board, Journal of Public Economics, 1974–90
Managing Editor, Canadian Journal of Economics, 1979–82
Founding Member of Editorial Board, Economic Modelling, 1984–2010
Executive Editor, Journal of Asian Economics, 1995–2000
Member of Editorial Board, Canadian Business Economics, 1995–2001

Consulting

OECD, Paris, 1984–85 and occasional
Bank of Canada, Ottawa, 1965–80; 2003

Personal

Born: Vancouver, August 15, 1937
Married 1969 (Judith); two sons, David and James