1. Professor Claire Wallace European Researchers’ Night, September 2015

3. Monitoring Quality of Life in Italy : Enrico Giovanini

4. Can we measure happiness? Physiological measures Surveys Interviews Looking at conditions of happiness Comparison of countries Indicators

6. Three approaches to measuring happiness Hedonic: are you happy? OR: life satisfaction Eudaimonic: leading a flourishing life (virtuous) Mental health (not being miserable)

7. Individual approaches vs social approaches Individual Wellbeing (e.g. Mindfulness, Positive psychology etc.) OR Quality of Life - Conditions that make a good life possible.

8. But what about the quality of society? It is important to understand not just individual wellbeing but also the social context Social context explains 25-40 per cent of happiness What factors are important in the quality of society?

9. Interaction of a complex set of issues

10. How to understand this? Can look at societies that work very well with high life quality (e.g. Sweden/Norway) Can look at where this has broken down (e.g. Rwanda after the genocide) or former Soviet Union after the collapse of communism Can look at improvements (Accession countries that joined the European Union) Can look at community level (city/neighbourhood/village)

11. The Decent Society – an approach to societal quality

12. Socio-Economic Security Protection from poverty Economic security across the life course Having enough to live on appropriate to the society you live in Enabling people to support themselves and lead a decent life

13. Social Cohesion Glue that holds society together making it more than just a collection of individuals Shared set of expectations – understanding the “rules of the game” Managing diversity and tensions Trust in others and in government Shared identity and purpose Working for the common good

14. Social inclusion Membership of society Access to resources and day to day activities Involvement in civil society and decision making Recognition and responsibility (rights) for all people Able to have voices heard Inclusion in neighbourhood, social networks, families

15. Social Empowerment Having agency – people able to control own lives and participate in cultural, economic and social opportunities Building capacities for empowering individuals and communities Good health and education Enjoying dignity and respect Increasing range of opportunities for groups and people – making voices heard

16. How to implement this vision? International level – framework of human rights and collective agreements (European Union, United Nations, Council of Europe etc.) National level – measuring societal quality (Scotland or UK) City level Community level (Village/neighbourhood)

17. Implementation Promoting participation Promoting connectivity Promoting communication Promoting belonging Promoting social capital In ways that are accessible and affordable

18. Want to know more? Slides, short and long articles, film available on my website : NEW EUROPE CENTRE Aberdeen http://www.abdn.ac.uk/socsci/research/new-europe- centre/ Scottish Universities Insight Institute website – WELLBEING projects 2014http://www.scottishinsight.ac.uk/Programmes/Well being2014 Aberdeen City Project