Governments in liberal democracies pursue social welfare, but in many different ways. The wellbeing approach instead asks: Why not focus directly on increasing measured human happiness? Why not try to improve people’s overall quality of life, as it is subjectively seen by citizens themselves? The radical implications of this stance include shifting attention to previously neglected areas (such as mental health and ‘social infrastructure’ services) and developing defensible measures of overall wellbeing or quality of life indicators. Can one ‘master’ concept of wellbeing work to create more holism in policy-making? Or should we stick with multiple metrics? These debates have been live in relation to an alternative ‘capacities’ approaches, and they are well-developed in health policymaking. Most recently, the connections between wellbeing and political participation have come into sharper focus. Wellbeing remains a contested concept, one that can be interpreted and used differently, with consequences for how it is incorporated into policy decisions. By bringing together scholars from economics, psychology and behavioural science, philosophy and political science, the authors explore how different disciplinary approaches can contribute to the study of wellbeing and how this can shape policy priorities.
Author(s): Timothy Besley, Irene Bucelli (eds.)
Series: LSE Public Policy Review Series
Edition: 1
Publisher: LSE Press
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 204
City: London
Tags: Wellbeing; Policy; Social justice; COVID-19; Inequality
Wellbeing
Alternative Policy Perspectives
LSE Public Policy Review Series
Series Editors
Contents
Editors
Contributors
1. Introduction: Making wellbeing policies effective
2. Wellbeing as the Goal of Policy
The Overarching Criterion
Political reality
Policy appraisal
Social justice
The science of wellbeing
Experiments
Cost-effectiveness and modelling
The length of life and WELLBYs
The effect of wellbeing on other goods
The new organisation of policy-making
Conclusion
Notes
References
3. Accounting for Consequences and Claims in Policy
1. Introduction
2. A Single Metric
3. Distributional concerns
Those who have the most to gain
Those who are currently suffering the most
Those who will suffer the most over the lifetime
Those who are suffering because of “bad luck”
Those who have the greatest impact on others
4. Conclusion
Author Contributions
Notes
References
4. Weighing the Costs and Benefits of Public Policy: On the Dangers of Single Metric Accounting
On Comprehensive Policy Evaluation and Single Metric Accounting
What Else Might Matter
Distributing Harms, Distributing Risks
The Problem of Reasonable Disagreement
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
Notes
References
5. Wellbeing in Public Policy: Contributions Based on Sen’s Capability Approach
Defining Wellbeing and its Production
The Production and Distribution of Wellbeing over the Life Course
Adult Wellbeing
Child Development and Happiness
Female Empowerment and Micro-Finance
Capabilities in Children, Health, Psychology and Social Justice
International Impacts of Capabilities on Wellbeing Policy
What the Capability Approach Contributes
References
6. Incorporating Well-Being and Mental Health Research to Improve Pandemic Response
Well-Being During the Covid-19 Pandemic in the UK
Lasting Well-Being Effects of Covid
Institutionalising Well-Being Approaches to Emergencies
Multidimensional Well-Being Indices
Well-being and Policy Appraisal
Well-Being and Ethics of Behavioural Change Strategies
Conclusion
Acknowledgements
References
7. COVID-19 and Mental Health and Wellbeing Research: Informing Targeted, Integrated, and Long-Term Responses to Health Emergencies
Relevance of mental health research to informing policy responses to health emergencies
Example 1: Mental health and poverty
Example 2: Mental health and social support
Role of economic evidence in informing trade-offs
The use of research in policy and practice
Conclusion
References
8. Health, Wellbeing, and Democratic Citizenship: A Review and Research Agenda
Understanding Health and Political Behaviour in Democracies
Taking Stock: Existing Data and Research
Healthy Citizens: Connecting Health and Wellbeing in the Study of Politics
A Brief Look at Some Data
Looking Ahead: Some Suggestions
Notes
References
9. Health and Disability Gaps in Political Engagement: A Short Review
Health and Disability
Health and Disability Gaps in Politics
Implications for Policies
Conclusion
References
