Edited by John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs

Now we face a set of real choices. Should the world pursue GNP to the point of environmental ruin, even when incremental gains in GNP are not increasing much (or at all) the happiness of affluent societies? Should we crave higher personal incomes at the cost of community and social trust? Should our governments spend even a tiny fraction of the $500 billion or so spent on advertising each year to help individuals and families to understand better their own motivations, wants, and needs as consumers?

Author: Sabina Alkire (Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative)

As a background Paper to the International Expert Working Group (IEWG) on a New Development Paradigm this work outlines the concept of well-being and happiness for all and also what value-added this work has in policy terms.

Authors: Laura Stoll, Juliet Michaelson and Charles Seaford (nef)

This review aims to provide the tools necessary to transfer academic knowledge on the causes of well-being, and factors have associations with subjective well-being into a practical format for policymakers, by reviewing the current evidence (up to the end of 2011) – providing an introduction to the state of current knowledge.
The policy areas which have been identified include: the economy, social relationships and community, health, the local environment, education and care. There is also a section on personal characteristics, which, although often not amenable to direct policy changes, play an important part in the understanding of the factors that are important to an individual’s well-being.

Author: Laura Stoll, new economics foundation

Laura Stoll from the nef (new economics foundation) gave the presentation "Well-being: evidence for policy" during the Third ALICE RAP Plenary Meeting that took place in Barcelona on the 23rd-25th April 2013.

Author: World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Health & Well-being has prepared this report to coincide with the Forum’s Annual Meeting 2012 in January in Davos-Klosters. In this report, they strongly support the need to measure well-being, but going beyond that to focus on what determines well-being – what helps and what hinders. They also look at the key contributions that can be made by individuals, governments and employers.