Our next government could be our best yet

There is a paradigm shift underway in politician’s views of what democratic governments are there to do. Their focus has, more often than not, been on driving economic growth. The expectation was that growth would deliver improvements in the wealth and well-being of all. Increasingly, politicians are realising that they need to look “beyond GDP” in assessing the impact of their policies in improving their citizen’s well-being.

I attended the OECD’s World Forum on Well-being in Rome last month. A thousand delegates from all over the world gathered to discuss the progress that is being made in measuring national well-being and in identifying the policies that governments can pursue to improve this. Representatives of the Department of the Taoiseach and the Central Statistics Office were present, alongside Irish academics and representatives of NGOs.

The evidence is that Irish politicians are embracing this movement towards well-being. The recent general election was the first in which the concept frequently featured in party manifestos. Fine Gael led the way with more than thirty references to improving well-being in theirs, followed by the Social Democrats, the Green Party, and then Fianna Fail. If their actions follow their words, then Ireland will have its most well-being-centric government yet.

So, what does a well-being government look like? It’s simply one that seeks to shape the economy to meet the needs of people and planet. And we have a good idea of what those needs are. The last government developed Ireland’s first well-being framework, identifying a suite of measures to track the health of people and environment. Having established the baseline, the opportunity is there for the next government to set targets for improvement and to align their policies to deliver.

The OECD Forum heard of the positive progress that is being made by researchers in identifying the factors that contribute to a happy nation. Rising income has a part to play, but many other factors are more important. What the science is revealing can help shape the next Programme for Government.

Access to healthcare is critical – with mental health contributing more to well-being than physical health. Improved investment in services for all ages, countrywide, is critical, accompanied by more health promotion initiatives to pre-empt ill-health.

Maintaining economic stability and full employment is another factor as unemployment is one of the most detrimental things that can occur to an individual. Adequate income security and support services for those that need them, underpinned by active labour market policies, are beneficial. Given that the State employs over 350,000 people, a focus on improving the work quality and morale of public servants will pay rich dividends.  

Local communities have an important role to play in providing social support networks and in increasing interpersonal trust, both of which contribute positively to resident’s happiness. Policies that support community development and community-led initiatives, including local businesses, will therefore improve the well-being of many. Increased housing provision has an important role here too.

Policies offering greater environmental protection will benefit people directly – as engagement with nature has been proven to improve happiness – but also indirectly given the many benefits derived from improved biodiversity and reduced pollution.

One important way to improve a country’s level of well-being, and arguably a moral imperative, is to reduce well-being inequality by eliminating suffering. I visited Finland earlier this year to understand why the country has been designated the happiest country in the world for the past seven years in a row. Part of the answer is that there are fewer people living in a state of misery than elsewhere – consecutive governments have invested in supporting those that need their help the most. The incoming Irish government has the financial resources to do the same.

Economic growth is required to provide the tax revenues to invest in these initiatives, but it should be recognised as the means to the end that it is. Our new government can take an important step forward by evaluating and prioritising its policies based on their well-being contribution. Such an approach would build on the commitment that Fine Gael made in its manifesto to embed well-being approaches in the national budget development process.

Giving citizens a say in how they are governed at a local and national level is another factor that enhances their well-being. Ireland’s use of Citizens’ Assemblies has already marked it out as a global leader in participative democracy. A decision by the new government to convene an Assembly on National Well-being would empower the people to choose which dimensions the government should prioritise and to develop a long-term vision for the nation’s health.

The incoming government has an opportunity to place Ireland amongst the leaders in adopting well-being policy approaches alongside New Zealand, Finland, Iceland, Scotland, and Wales. However, we must recognise that change will happen slowly – consistency in policy beyond the lifetime of a single government is essential to deliver long-term progress. One means of doing so is to follow Wales’s example and establish an Ombudsman for Future Generations that ensures there is a voice speaking out for the well-being of the generations yet to come – and doing so long after this government has seen out its term.

There is one final incentive for politicians to embrace the concept of a well-being economy. The rewards will be reaped not only by their constituents, but also by the incumbent government: research has demonstrated that improvements in well-being are more closely tied to a government’s re-election prospects than increases in GDP.