IAOS/SCORUS Conference, 2008 Session 5: Measuring well-being in the regions and cities Discussant : Dominic LEUNG Census and Statistics Department Hong Kong, China

Broad Views of the Five Papers Three producers and two users Three producers and two users Producers Producers Song’s paper :call to explore subjective well-being in BeijingSong’s paper :call to explore subjective well-being in Beijing Kong’s paper :constructed indicator systems to measure welfare and well-being in ShenzhenKong’s paper :constructed indicator systems to measure welfare and well-being in Shenzhen Cui’s paper :group in China set up to assess performance of local governments based also on people’s well- beingCui’s paper :group in China set up to assess performance of local governments based also on people’s well- being Users Users Maier’s paper :example of how social indicators on well-being and others affected decision about where to build an airport in GermanyMaier’s paper :example of how social indicators on well-being and others affected decision about where to build an airport in Germany Martin-Guzman’s paper :researchers’ need for well-being indicatorsMartin-Guzman’s paper :researchers’ need for well-being indicators

Should We Pursue Concerns : cannot be easily and reliably measured Concerns : cannot be easily and reliably measured Reasons to pursue Reasons to pursue GDP measure too singularGDP measure too singular Problems arise amidst high GDP growthProblems arise amidst high GDP growth Exhausting resources/damaging environmentExhausting resources/damaging environment

Major Development/Work (I) (I)Gross National Happiness (GNH), Bhutan inspired by a Bhutan King inspired by a Bhutan King December 2005, Centre for Bhutan Studies to develop GNH indicators December 2005, Centre for Bhutan Studies to develop GNH indicators (a) psychological well-being (b) health (c) time use and balance (d) education (e) cultural diversity and resilience (f) good governance (g) community vitality (h) ecosystem diversity and vitality (i) living standards

Major Development/Work (II) (II)Happy Planet Index (HPI), the New Economies Foundation index of human well-being and environmental impact index of human well-being and environmental impact ecological efficiency of human well-being delivery ecological efficiency of human well-being delivery not to show the happiest country not to show the happiest country but the relative efficiency of converting natural resources to long and happy lives of citizens but the relative efficiency of converting natural resources to long and happy lives of citizens

Major Development/Work (III) (III)Satisfaction with Life Index, Adrian G White World Happiest Map drawn World Happiest Map drawn subjective life satisfaction surveyed subjective life satisfaction surveyed people directly asked how happy they are people directly asked how happy they are

Major Development/Work (IV) (IV)Measures of Australia’s Progress (MAP), ABS four broad areas four broad areas (a) individuals (b) economic and resources (c) environment (d) living together(a) individuals (b) economic and resources (c) environment (d) living together fourteen headline dimensions fourteen headline dimensions health, education, work; national income, economic hardship (disposable income in the 2nd and 3rd deciles), national wealth (per capita not wealth), housing, productivity; national landscape, air and atmosphere, oceans; social cohesion, crime, democracyhealth, education, work; national income, economic hardship (disposable income in the 2nd and 3rd deciles), national wealth (per capita not wealth), housing, productivity; national landscape, air and atmosphere, oceans; social cohesion, crime, democracy

Major Development/Work (V) (V) Sustainable Development Indicators, UN four dimensions four dimensions (a) social (b) environmental (c) economic (d) institutional(a) social (b) environmental (c) economic (d) institutional fifteen themes fifteen themes equality, health, education, housing, security, population; atmosphere land, ocean, fresh water, biodiversity; economic structure, consumption and production patterns; institutional framework, institutional capacityequality, health, education, housing, security, population; atmosphere land, ocean, fresh water, biodiversity; economic structure, consumption and production patterns; institutional framework, institutional capacity

Major Development/Work (VI) (VI)Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), World Bank internationally comparable measures of governance internationally comparable measures of governance WGI released annually WGI released annually Six dimensions Six dimensions (a) voice and accountability(b) political stability (c) government effectiveness(d) regulatory penalty (e) rule of law(f) control of corruption

Points for Further Thoughts (I) (I) Choice of indicators a)to measure outcome vs output and input (see Kong’s paper : out of 21 items, 8 relate to inputs, e.g. per capita no. of books in libraries) b)avoid too many and overlapping (see Maier’s paper: out of the 60 indicators in report, 17 social indicators less problematic, but still overlapping)

(b) Shenzhen Citizen Welfare Indicators System Shenzhen Citizen Welfare Indicators 1. Growth rate of per capita disposable income 2. Gini coefficient Safety level 1. Overstandard rate of major agricultural products quality monitoring 2. Qualification rate of medicine safety sampling check 3. Number of days reaching I or Ⅱ air quality 4. Qualification rate of major drinking water source and water quality 5. Death rate in traffic accidents Comprehensive human developmet human developmetlevel 1. Per capita years being educated 2. Per capita hours for staff training 3. Per capita number of books in the library Social security level 1. Registered urban unemployment rate 2. Number of zero employment households 3. Employment rate of the year’s graduates 4. Comprehensive participation rate of social insurance 5. Participation rate of labor workers for labor injury 6. Participation rate of labor workers for medical insurance 7. Social security and employment spending as a percentage of fiscal layout 8. Donation money from the society Public service level 1. Fiscal expenditures for education, science, culture and sports as a percentage of fiscal layout 2. Fiscal investment for environmental protection as a percentage of fiscal layout 3. Fiscal expenditure for public facility construction as a percentage of fiscal layout Income distribution and fairness

E1 Number residents concerned by day by aircraft noise with permanent level over 57 decibels E2 Number of residents concerned by night by aircraft noise with top level over 70 decibels E3 Number of residents concerned by day by street noise with permanent level over 59 decibels E4 Number of residents concerned by night by street noise with top level over 49 decibels E5 Number residents concerned by day by railway noise with permanent level over 59 decibels E6 Number of residents concerned by night by railway noise with top level over 49 decibels E7 Number of residents concerned by carbon black E8 Assumed number of residents concerned by a catastrophe in security zone two S12 Elongation of travel time of car driver to airport BBI (after close-down of airports in Berlin- Tegel, Berlin-Tempelhof, and the old one in Schönefeld) in minutes S13 Travel time by express from station Lehrter Stadtbahnhof in Berlin to airport BBI in minutes S14 Travel time by express from station Potsdam to airport BBI in minutes S23 Concerned social institutions (kindergartens, senior housing, hospitals, schools) S25 Noise burden of housing and settlement structure S26 Number of residents to be resettled S31 Area of security zone in square kilometres S32 Fraction of settlement area within the security zone S33 Important firms within the security zone Social Indicators

Points for Further Thoughts (II) (II) Measurement issues Bhutan questionnaire “On a scale of ten, I consider myself not very happylevel 1 etc. etc. very happylevel 10 ”

Points for Further Thoughts (III) (III) Analytical issues Difficult to analyse and interpret, particularly if involving some general variables like age and incomeDifficult to analyse and interpret, particularly if involving some general variables like age and income Has to caution against misinterpretation and misleading conclusionHas to caution against misinterpretation and misleading conclusion See Song’s slides no. 15See Song’s slides no. 15

Results (contd.) (4) Distribution by income groups Higher income could bring happiness, but not positively linear correlation

Thank You