Well-being indicators can start to transform politics, says report
As the Office for National Statistics begins the debate on looking at ways to measure national well-being, a new report by independent think-tank nef (the new economics foundation) argues that well-being indicators can form a robust and reliable tool for policy-making.
The report, Measuring our progress: The power of well-being, is published today, Wednesday 16 February, on the same day as a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Well-being Economics, in the Houses of Parliament. It sets out in detail how well-being can be measured and how the data gathered can be used to improve policy.
Charles Seaford, Head of the Centre for Well-being at nef said: “The Prime Minister has already said that he wants to measure well-being. The question now is how we go about it. It’s very important that we have a robust set of measures designed in a way that will get political traction and provide a real steer to policy makers. We’re convinced that this is possible and that well-being data can help politicians and civil servants focus on what really matters to people.”
The report recommends understanding well-being as flourishing, a perspective drawn from both current psychology and ancient philosophy. Flourishing means functioning well in our relations with the others, having a sense of freedom and autonomy, living a purposeful life, and the positive feelings that arise with each of these. This dynamic model of well-being will best capture what matters to people, above and beyond a simplistic definition of ‘happiness’.
It also argues that we need to redefine what we mean by ‘progress’. If the universal ‘end goal’ of policymaking is universal well-being, then progress means reaching this goal with ever increasing efficiency, especially in terms of ecological resources.
“The debate about well-being is really a debate about how we define progress,” continued Charles Seaford, “GDP has outlived it’s usefulness as a headline indicator. Progress today shouldn’t just mean more economic growth: it should mean longer, happier and more fulfilling lives for everyone, without damaging the planet’s ecological resources.”
The report also recommends embedding well-being data within the different stages of policymaking. It suggests:
- Using well-being data to work out which issues should prioritised
- Developing a measure of well-being inequality
- Amending the Green Book and other policy guidance documents so that policy appraisal and decision-making is informed by well-being data.
- Encouraging officials to use well-being data and undertake an associated capacity building programme to facilitate this.
