The Politics of Wellbeing

The Politics of Wellbeing seminar series was an ESRC funded interdisciplinary project. It aimed to identify and communicate the distinctive contribution the politics discipline can make to the wellbeing debate and policy development in the UK and beyond.

On

About

There has been a dramatic rise of international and national policy interest in wellbeing, quality of life and happiness research, and particularly in the measurement of wellbeing for public policy purposes. This has intensified in the context of the financial crisis as politicians and policy-makers grapple with new policy goals and political narratives while pursuing economic and employment growth.

At the time, the UK was at the forefront of developments with David Cameron announcing in November 2010 that wellbeing measures developed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) would be used for public policy purposes. The ONS has since made data available to policy-makers and the Treasury has adjusted its Green Book guidance to government departments in response.

Wellbeing as a concept and as policy has been researched and debated extensively in the fields of economics, psychology, sociology, geography and others. However, the discipline of politics has been largely silent, leaving potentially important theoretical and empirical insights absent from debates. 

In this context, the primary aim of the seminar series was to bring the politics discipline into dialogue with other disciplines and with policy-makers, to identify and communicate its distinctive contribution, and to contribute to wellbeing policy debate and policy development in the UK and beyond.

The seminar series consisted of six events staged over two years. There were five seminars (of 25 academic and non-academic participants structured around five or six contributions per seminar) and a concluding one-day conference (with 80 participants).


A group of people attending the first Politics of Wellbeing seminar

Team

The Politics of Wellbeing series was run by:

  • Ian Bache, Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield
  • Karen Scott, Lord Richard Percy Fellow, Newcastle University
  • Charles Seaford, Head of Wellbeing, new economics foundation

Programme

The Politics of Wellbeing seminar series consisted of five interdisciplinary seminars and a concluding conference.

Seminars

The research agenda, Friday 31 January 2014, Sheffield

What have been the main wellbeing related initiatives to date and why? What has been their impact? What are the main disciplinary contributions? What are the gaps in disciplinary contributions and in knowledge transfer to the policy community?

Convenors

Professor Ian Bache, Charles Seaford (nef) and Paul Allin (CStat, FRSA; former Director of the Measuring National Wellbeing Programme at the ONS). 

Schedule

10.00 – Coffee

10.30 – Welcome and introduction to the seminar series

  • Ian Bache (University of Sheffield) download paper (.doc, 69.1KB), Karen Scott (University of Newcastle) and Charles Seaford (new economics foundation)

10.50 – Policy perspectives: wellbeing on the political agenda

  • Charles Seaford (Head of the Centre for Wellbeing, new economics foundation)
  • Paul Allin (Imperial College and former Head of the National Wellbeing Programme at the Office for National Statistics) download paper (.doc, 131KB)
  • Ewen McKinnon (Wellbeing and Civil Society Policy, Analysis and Insights Team, Cabinet Office) download presentation (PDF, 584KB)
  • Chair – Ian Bache

12.30 – Lunch and informal discussions

1.30 – Policy perspectives continued: feedback from informal discussions

2.00 – Academic perspectives: wellbeing on the ‘political science’ agenda

  • Karen Scott, download paper (.doc, 74.6KB)
  • Louise Reardon (the University of Sheffield) read the paper
  • Paul Anand (Open University) download paper (PDF, 237KB)
  • Chair – Aki Tsuchiya (Director, Centre for Wellbeing in Public Policy, the University of Sheffield)

3.30 – Tea

3.45 – Feedback and roundtable discussion

4.15 – Summing up and next steps (Ian Bache, Karen Scott and Charles Seaford)

4.30 – End

Download a full attendance list for the seminar (.doc, 16.5KB)

Methodologies, evidence and policy relevance, Monday 23 June 2014, Newcastle

How can Politics contribute new thinking on methods to enhance effective and innovative cross disciplinary perspectives on wellbeing? How will this help to address research gaps and enhance policy effectiveness?

The seminar was held at The Clore Suite, Great North Museum, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PT on Monday 23 June 2014. It was sponsored by The Newcastle Institute for Social Renewal (NISR).

Convenors

Dr Karen Scott and Professor Mark Shucksmith (Director, NISR).

Schedule

10.00 – Coffee

10.30 – Welcome from Professor Mark Shucksmith, Director of NISR

10.35  – Recap of the Seminar Series

  • Professor Ian Bache (the University of Sheffield), Dr Karen Scott (University of Newcastle) and Charles Seaford (new economics foundation)

10.50 – Panel session one – The nature of wellbeing evidence

  • Susan Oman (Manchester University)
  • Helen Wilding (Newcastle City Council) – Wellbeing ‘evidence’ in Policy Practice, download presentation (PDF, 110KB)
  • Professor Sarah Atkinson (Durham University)
  • Chair – Professor Ian Bache

12.30 – Lunch and informal discussions

1.30 – Feedback from informal discussions

2.00 – Panel session two – Wellbeing evidence and policy

  • Matt Jenkins (Newcastle University) – Whose wellbeing? The individual and the national in the ONS and Measuring National Wellbeing programme, download presentation (PDF, 316KB)
  • Lauren Pennycook (Carnegie UK Trust): Policy into practice: How wellbeing can shape the agenda, download presentation (.ppt, 20.1MB)
  • Professor Christina Boswell (Edinburgh University) – The Political Uses of Expert Knowledge: Research and Policy on Wellbeing, download presentation (.ppt, 119KB)
  • Chair – Charles Seaford

3.30 – Tea

3.45 – Feedback and roundtable discussion

4.15 – Summing up and next steps (Ian Bache, Karen Scott and Charles Seaford)

4.30 – End

Download a full attendance list for the seminar (.doc, 18KB).

Governance and Public Policy, Tuesday 23 September 2014, London

What are the appropriate governance arrangements and mechanisms through which effective and accountable wellbeing interventions might be advanced? What are the barriers to the development of effective wellbeing policies? What are the useful lessons for policy-makers?

Convenors 

Professor Ian Bache, Dr Karen Scott and Charles Seaford (nef). 

Schedule

10.00 – Coffee

10.30 – Welcome, Paul Allin (Imperial College)

10.35 – Introduction to the day and seminar series by Professor Ian Bache (the University of Sheffield) and Dr Karen Scott (University of Newcastle)

10.45 – Panel session one

  • Charles Seaford (Head of Wellbeing, new economics foundation) – Bringing Alternative Indicators into Policy: the BRAINPOoL project
  • John Brazier (Professor of Health Economics, University of Sheffield) – ‘Governance and Public Policy: A NICE Example’, download presentation (.ppt, 2.83MB)
  • Chair – Karen Scott

1.30 – Feedback from informal discussions

2.00 – Panel session two

  • Dave O’Brien (Lecturer, City University London)
  • Jennifer Wallace (Head of Policy, Carnegie Trust) – ‘Bolt-on or Built-in: Challenges for integrating wellbeing into policy’, download presentation (.ppt, 8.86MB)
  • Dr Suhraiya Jivraj (Lecturer in Law, Kent Law School)
  • Chair – Ian Bache

3.30 – Tea

3.45 – Feedback and roundtable discussion

4.15 – Summing up and next steps (Ian Bache, Karen Scott and Charles Seaford)

4.30 – End

Download a full attendance list for the seminar (.doc, 17.6KB).

Political Economy and Wellbeing, Friday 30 January 2015, Sheffield

What is the relationship between the wellbeing agenda and debates on new growth/growth plus/sustainable growth models, post-financial crisis? How might this dialogue be developed most productively for policy-makers?

This seminar took place at ICOSS, the University of Sheffield, on 30 January 2015. It was co-sponsored with SPERI.

The day explored the relationship between various ideas and narratives that challenge the ‘god of growth’ paradigm and how dialogue around these ideas and narratives might be developed most productively for policy-makers.

Convenors

Professor Ian Bache and Professor Anthony Payne (Co-director of the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI)).

Schedule

10.00 – Coffee

10.30 – Welcome and Introduction to the ESRC Seminar Series by Ian Bache (University of Sheffield) and Karen Scott (University of Newcastle)

10.40 – Welcome from the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) by Professor Tony Payne, Co-Director of SPERI

10.50 – Narratives beyond GDP

  • Professor John O’Neill (University of Manchester)  – Sustainable development, download presentation (.ppt, 959KB)
  • Professor Paul Allin (Imperial College and former Head of the National Wellbeing Programme at the Office for National Statistics) – Wellbeing, download presentation (PDF, 624KB)
  • Chair – Professor Nicola Phillips, the University of Sheffield.

12.30 – Lunch and informal discussions

1.30 – Narratives beyond GDP continued: feedback from informal discussions

2.00 – Challenging established narratives in policy terms

  • Adam Corlett (Resolution Foundation) download presentation (PDF, 0.99MB)
  • Juliet Michaelson (new economics foundation) – Wellbeing, download presentation (PDF, 892KB)
  • Dr Hayley Stevenson (the University of Sheffield) – Contemporary discourses on the environment-economy nexus, download presentation (PDF, 133KB)
  • Chair – Dr Karen Scott

3.40 – Tea

4.00 – Summing up and next steps (Ian Bache, Tony, Payne, Karen Scott and Charles Seaford)

4.30 – End

Professor Diane Perrons, London School of Economics, was not able to make the event. She was due to present at 10.50am about Narratives Beyond GDP. Though she was unable to be present, she has offered her powerpoint presentation slides (PDF, 1.11MB) to download.

Download a full attendance list for the seminar (.doc, 17.7KB).

Political Theory and Wellbeing, Friday 17 April 2015, Newcastle

How does wellbeing relate to traditions of thought in different political parties and other organisations? How might this point to different policy solutions to the wellbeing agenda?

This seminar took place on Friday, 17 April at The Clore Suite, Great North Museum, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4PT. It was sponsored by The Newcastle Institute for Social Renewal (NISR). The day explored the relationship between political theory and wellbeing.

Convenors

Dr Karen Scott and Dr Derek Bell (University of Newcastle)

Schedule

10.15 – Coffee

10.45 – Welcome and recap of the seminar series

  • Karen Scott (University of Newcastle) and Ian Bache (the University of Sheffield)

11.00 – Panel session one

  • Alasdair Cochrane (the University of Sheffield) – Politics and the inevitability of wellbeing, download presentation (.ppt, 1.56MB)
  • Justine N Uvuza (Newcastle University) – Feminist/gender perspectives and wellbeing, download presentation (.ppt, 87.1MB)
  • Sam Wren Lewis (Leeds University and Happy City Initiative) – A new understanding of wellbeing and its role in public policy, download presentation (.ppt, 65.9KB)
  • Chair – Louise Reardon (University of Leeds)

12.30 – Lunch and informal discussions

1.15 – Feedback from informal discussions

1.45 – Panel session two

  • Annie Austin (Manchester University) – Wellbeing and social justice: Equality of what? download presentation (.ppt, 392KB)
  • Tim Taylor (Leeds University) – The proper role for wellbeing in public policy, download presentation (.ppt, 116KB)
  • Derek Bell (Newcastle University) – Wellbeing and democracy, download presentation (.ppt, 82.7KB)
  • Chair – Charles Seaford (New Economics Foundation)

3.15 – Refreshments and informal discussion

3.40 – Feedback from informal discussions

4.10 – Summing up and next steps (Ian Bache, Louise Reardon, Karen Scott and Charles Seaford)

4.30 – End

Download the programme (PDF, 237KB).

Download a full attendance list for the seminar (.doc, 18.5KB).

Conference

The Politics of Wellbeing, ESRC Conference at Sheffield Town Hall, Friday 17 July 2015

Plenary sessions putting UK developments in international perspective, drawing on the insights of policy-makers from elsewhere. This included workshops engaging practitioners as discussants for academic papers and exploring the possibility for joint publications and further research collaboration.

About the conference

This conference concluded the ESRC seminar series on The Politics of Wellbeing. The central purpose of the seminar series was to define and develop the contribution of the politics discipline in relation to wellbeing – a concept and policy area that has been researched and debated extensively in the fields of economics, psychology, sociology, geography and others. 

Interest in the politics of wellbeing has intensified in response to the dramatic rise of national and international policy activity on wellbeing, quality of life and happiness, and particularly in how wellbeing indicators might be used to guide public policy. The seminar series has not only brought politics into dialogue with other disciplines but also stimulated debate between academics and policy-makers.

Convenors

Professor Ian Bache (the University of Sheffield), Dr Karen Scott (Newcastle University) and Charles Seaford (New Economics Foundation)

Plenary speakers

  • Matthew Flinders, Professor of Politics at the University of Sheffield and Chair of the Political Studies Association
  • Linda McAvan, MEP for Yorkshire and The Humber and Chair of the European Parliament Development Committee
  • Andrew Oswald, Professor of Economics at the University of Warwick and ex- Member of the Stiglitz Commission on Measuring Human Progress
  • Conal Smith, Senior Economist, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

There were also panel sessions with 21 papers across a range of topics.

The papers explored questions such as

  • Is the aim of wellbeing policy to produce stable states with settled citizens or to challenge the status quo? 
  • Can we use wellbeing as a basis for policy judgements or evaluations? 
  • What are the issues of legitimacy? 
  • Does wellbeing offer a chance to engage people in politics more? 
  • What are the implications for democracy? 
  • How does wellbeing relate to electoral politics? 
  • What are the prospects for wellbeing as a central goal of government policy?

Panel sessions

Wellbeing and policy (i)

Speakers and presentations:

National developments

Speakers and presentations:

Wellbeing: concept and measurement (i)

Speakers and presentations:

Wellbeing in policy (ii)

Speakers and presentations:

  • John Brazier and Tessa Peasgood (the University of Sheffield) - Is wellbeing a legitimate basis for policy judgements or evaluations in health care?
  • Kathryn Ecclestone (the University of Sheffield) – From national measures to everyday assessments: a critical evaluation of the evidence base for wellbeing interventions in educational settings
  • Toby Lowe (Newcastle University) – The performance (management) of wellbeing (.ppt, 1.18MB)
  • Louise Reardon (University of Leeds) – Quality of life and transport policy: Lessons for the wellbeing agenda (.ppt, 116KB)
  • Chair – Paul Allin
International comparative studies

Speakers and presentations:

  • Donatella Alessandrini (University of Kent) and Suhraiya Jivraj (University of Kent) – Exploring wellbeing and gross national happiness in sustainable development policy making
  • Paul Anand (Open University) – Multi-dimensional wellbeing for the assessment of progress: Evidence from the US and UK (.ppt, 8.69MB)
  • Karen Scott (University of Newcastle, UK), Annick Masselot (Canterbury University, NZ), and Bronwyn Hayward (Canterbury University, NZ) – Skivers, strivers and thrivers: The impact of the shift from welfare to wellbeing on women in New Zealand and the United Kingdom
  • Chair – Annie Austin
Wellbeing: concept and measurement (ii)

Speakers and presentations:

  • Jules Evans (Queen Mary, University of London) – Beyond liberalism?
  • J Allister McGregor (Institute of Development Studies at Sussex) – Human Wellbeing: Universal Frameworks and Local Realities: Can they be Reconciled
  • Peter Doran (Queens University, Belfast) – Towards a political economy of attention (Reclaiming the mindful commons) (.ppt, 1.21MB)
  • John Haworth and Sandie McHugh (both University of Bolton) – Enjoyment and wellbeing (.ppt, 2.12MB)
  • Chair – Susan Hodgett

Downloads


A speaker at the Politics of Wellbeing seminar

Relevant texts

Articles

Papers


Related events

Workshop on Wellbeing in Politics and Policy

This event was organised by the Centre for Wellbeing in Public Policy (CWiPP) and the Governance and Participation Research Group, Department of Politics, the University of Sheffield. It took place on Wednesday 24 February 2016.

The workshop included:

  • The Politics and Policy of Wellbeing: Understanding the Rise and Significance of a New Agenda – Professor Ian Bache, Department of Politics, University of Sheffield
  • Wellbeing and Environmental Agendas: Mutually Supportive or Cannibalising? – Oliver Zwirner, Visiting Researcher, University of Leeds – on leave from European Commission DG Environment

Download an overview of the event (.doc, 19.4KB).

Political Studies Association Conference 2015

Between 30 March and 1 April 2015, the Political Studies Association (PSA) held its 65th Annual Conference. At the conference, members of the seminar series organised two panels.

The Politics of Wellbeing (i): Measurement and Policy (Chair: Ian Bache)

  • Paul Allin (Imperial College London) – Measuring wellbeing: great idea, but what’s the use? download presentation (.ppt, 1.46MB)
  • Susan Oman (University of Manchester) – Civic pride, great strides and the great divide – stories of participation and inclusion in the UK’s ‘National Wellbeing: Measuring What Matters to You?’ debate, download presentation (PDF, 8.93MB)
  • Lauren Pennycook and Jennifer Wallace (Carniege UK Trust) – Bolt on or Built in? Challenges for integrating wellbeing into policy, download presentation (.ppt, 3.92MB)
  • Ian Bache (the University of Sheffield) – The prospects for wellbeing in public policy: motivation, means and motor, download presentation (.ppt, 751KB)

The Politics of Wellbeing (ii): Theory and Concepts (Chair: Ian Bache)

  • Annie Austin (University of Manchester) – On subjective well-being and public policy: Are we capable of questioning the hegemony of happiness? download presentation (.ppt, 1.11MB)
  • Dave O’Brien (Goldsmiths, University of London) – A hand grenade or off to hell in a handcart? Prospects for the use of wellbeing in cultural policy, download presentation (.ppt, 320KB)
  • Karen Scott (Newcastle University) – This is personal. Feminism and the politics of wellbeing
  • Tim Taylor (Interdisciplinary Ethics Applied Centre, University of Leeds) – A theory-neutral approach to well-being, download presentation (.ppt, 89.3KB)

Associated organisations

  • CWiPP (Centre for Health and Wellbeing in Public Policy)
  • nef (new economics foundation)
  • NiSR (Newcastle Institute for Social Renewal)
  • ONS (Office for National Statistics)
  • SPERI (Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute)

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