Measuring well-being

The wealth of our societies is typically described in terms of economic growth, production and income. Yet, people would probably name good health as their most important goal, particularly under the current pandemic circumstances. Economic prosperity is intrinsically dependent on public health. Investments in healthcare and R&D, as well as in other social and health-promoting ... Read more

Welfare states can buffer economic hardship – their primary function is to provide a public safety net in times of individual crisis and to enable people to overcome the crisis through activation. Thus, if done right, welfare states support solidarity and empowerment. In normal times, welfare states deal with individual volatility resulting from impacts of ... Read more

Our current measures of progress are primarily financial and short-term. Macro-level reporting has had a particular emphasis on GDP and corporate reporting has largely been focused on shareholder value. In the context of broader social objectives, our current approaches to reporting are neither sufficient nor effective. While there has been a proliferation of standards and ... Read more

Our economy should serve human needs. For that, it must not be entirely geared towards economic progress but has to improve social progress and environmental sustainability as well. This is the vision of a recoupled economy: where social, economic and environmental prosperity grow together and not apart. Achieving a recoupled economy requires complementary action in ... Read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has put a spotlight on how interdependent the world has become: the virus has spread across the world in no time, has brought economies down and global debt levels up. It has shown how fragile many achievements are: inequalities were exposed and trust in government was eroded as individual freedom was constrained. ... Read more

The Italian G20 Presidency comes at a critical time in the history of the G20. Collective action across the G20 and beyond is required to promote recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, both in terms of global health and economic prosperity. Furthermore, this recovery needs to be environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. Never before has the ... Read more