1. Key messages
e-Frame Conference on Measuring Well-Being and Fostering the Progress of Societies
Martine Durand, OECD
Paris, 28 June 2012

2. Some key messages (1)
Well-being and progress agenda is well established in European discussion at both measurement and policy levels.
Increasing convergence between well-being and sustainability agendas.
Similar frameworks adopted by OECD, European Commission, e-Frame. 2

3. Some key messages (2)
Complementary national initiatives -appreciating differences.
Take-up depends on both political leadership AND public consultation processes. Bottom up and top down. 3

4. Cross-cutting measurement issues (1)
Need for both objective and subjective indicators.
Micro data - joint distribution – links between micro and macro are important.
Reporting indicators at different levels – local, national, global – population groups. 4

5. Cross-cutting measurement issues (2)
More conceptual and data work required.
Measurement is costly. Roles for both official and non-official data.
Timeliness and communication. 5

6. So what? Powerful tool to improve policy making.
Identify trade-offs and synergies (within and between dimensions).
Multi-dimensional perspective.
Evaluation.
Challenges
Complexity (outcomes and drivers)
Cuts across Ministries, whole of government approach
UK, Australia, New Zealand, Quebec examples 6

7. Moving forward
Importance of strengthened collaboration at the European level.
Bringing this agenda to the global level.
Rio+20.
post-2015 development agenda.
Countries to bring to 2013 UNSC.
Actively encourage policy use.
Australia: ABS launched in 2011 an on-line consultation to re-define the dimensions and the framework of MAP.
Italy: Steering Group on the Measurement of Progress in Italian Society to identify a set of indicators informing on a wide range of economic, social and environmental components of well-being
Expert group co-ordinated by ISTAT for the selection of high-quality indicators
The work to be carried out done in three stages
Open, on-line public consultation to identify the most important dimensions of well-being to the Italian society
Using Multipurpose Social Survey to validate these dimensions
Discussion of these dimensions with various stake-holders and approval by the various experts involved in the consultation
Report summarising the outcomes of the consultation
Germany: Commission of the German Parliament on ‘Growth, well-being and quality of life” put in place in January 2011 to deliver a report in 2013
Joint request by all major political parties
Motivation: re-examine basic reference points for society in the wake of financial crisis and Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report
Political interest not only in issues of well-being but also in environmental sustainability
Objective: development of an indicator’ to complement GDP
Norway: Parliamentary commissions is looking at quality of life indicators to redefine the national sustainable strategy and notably including some of the QoL indicators in this strategy
Luxembourg. The Government mandated the Economic and Social Council (ESC) and the Higher Council for Sustainable Development (HCSD) with producing and proposing a system of well-being indicators to measure society’s progress from a long-term perspective. For the time being, three workshops on the values, goals and principles that can serve as benchmarks for analysing well-being have been held and a technical report, “GDP-Well-Being”, seeks to propose indicators, themes and means of measurement.

8. What’s next?
Post conclusions and highlights of sessions on the website for two weeks.
Bring forward to New Delhi.
Australia: ABS launched in 2011 an on-line consultation to re-define the dimensions and the framework of MAP.
Italy: Steering Group on the Measurement of Progress in Italian Society to identify a set of indicators informing on a wide range of economic, social and environmental components of well-being
Expert group co-ordinated by ISTAT for the selection of high-quality indicators
The work to be carried out done in three stages
Open, on-line public consultation to identify the most important dimensions of well-being to the Italian society
Using Multipurpose Social Survey to validate these dimensions
Discussion of these dimensions with various stake-holders and approval by the various experts involved in the consultation
Report summarising the outcomes of the consultation
Germany: Commission of the German Parliament on ‘Growth, well-being and quality of life” put in place in January 2011 to deliver a report in 2013
Joint request by all major political parties
Motivation: re-examine basic reference points for society in the wake of financial crisis and Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report
Political interest not only in issues of well-being but also in environmental sustainability
Objective: development of an indicator’ to complement GDP
Norway: Parliamentary commissions is looking at quality of life indicators to redefine the national sustainable strategy and notably including some of the QoL indicators in this strategy
Luxembourg. The Government mandated the Economic and Social Council (ESC) and the Higher Council for Sustainable Development (HCSD) with producing and proposing a system of well-being indicators to measure society’s progress from a long-term perspective. For the time being, three workshops on the values, goals and principles that can serve as benchmarks for analysing well-being have been held and a technical report, “GDP-Well-Being”, seeks to propose indicators, themes and means of measurement.

9. Thank you
e-Frame Conference on Measuring Well-Being and Fostering the Progress of Societies
Martine Durand, OECD
Paris, 28 June 2012