Wellbeing economy

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Wellbeing economy is a public policy framework in which the economy is designed to serve social, health, cultural, equity and nature outcomes. [1] [2] The aim is to go beyond gross domestic product (GDP) as the main measure of national economic performance. Since the early 2000s there has been growing interest in wellbeing as a framework in research, measurement and policy. [3]

Contents

National and international adoption

A number of countries have introduced wellbeing metrics to guide public policy decision-making and inform budgetary processes with a focus on education and skills, health, gender and inclusion. [3] The approach has been adopted as national policy in a number of countries including Scotland, [4] New Zealand, Iceland, Wales, [5] Finland and Canada which established the Wellbeing Economy Governments partnership (WEGo) in 2021. [6]

Intergovernmental organisations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) have also adopted wellbeing as a whole-of-government approach to meet complex social, environmental and public health challenges. This was first articulated in 2021 with the adoption of the Geneva Charter for Wellbeing. [7] and in May 2023 the WHO Assembly adopted A global framework for integrating well-being into public health utilizing a health promotion approach, [8]

Notable examples

Australia

Bhutan

Canada

Finland

Germany

Iceland

Netherlands

New Zealand

Was a pioneer in this space

United Kingdom

England

Scotland

Wales

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Public opinion

A survey made by Ipsos for the organization Earth4All in 17 of the G20 countries, found that 68% of the respondents support prioritizing wellbeing over profit. [9]

See also

OECD Better Life Initiative

International Wellbeing Economy Alliance (WEAll) group

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References

  1. McCartney, Gerry; Hensher, Martin; Trebeck, Katherine (2023-07-05). "How to measure progress towards a wellbeing economy: distinguishing genuine advances from 'window dressing'". Public Health Research & Practice. 33 (2). doi: 10.17061/phrp3322309 .
  2. Fioramonti, Lorenzo; Coscieme, Luca; Costanza, Robert; Kubiszewski, Ida; Trebeck, Katherine; Wallis, Stewart; Roberts, Debra; Mortensen, Lars F.; Pickett, Kate E.; Wilkinson, Richard; Ragnarsdottír, Kristín Vala; McGlade, Jacqueline; Lovins, Hunter; De Vogli, Roberto (2022). "Wellbeing economy: An effective paradigm to mainstream post-growth policies?". Ecological Economics . 192: 107261. doi:10.1016/j.ecolecon.2021.107261. hdl: 11577/3452652 .
  3. 1 2 Nozal, Ana Llena; Martin, Neil; Martin, Fabrice. The Economy of Well-being: Creating Opportunities for People's Well-being and Economic Growth (Report). OECD.
  4. "Building a New Scotland: A stronger economy with independence - summary". www.gov.scot. Scottish Government. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  5. "Wellbeing of Wales". Government of Wales. September 28, 2023.
  6. "Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGO)". Wellbeing Economy Alliance. Retrieved 2023-10-07.
  7. The Geneva Charter for Well-being (Report). World Health Organisation.
  8. Achieving well-being: a global framework for integrating well-being into public health utilizing a health promotion approach (Report). World Health Organisation. 30 May 2023.
  9. Allgood, Beth. "Understanding the Global Call for Wellbeing: Insights from Earth4All's Latest Survey". One Nature.