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https://doi.org/10.12759/hsr.44.2019.2.288-312

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Transforming by Metrics that Matter - Progress, Participation, and the National Initiatives of Fixing Well-Being Indicators

Transformation durch Zahlen, die zählen - Fortschritt, Partizipation und die nationalen Initiativen zur Festlegung von Wohlfahrtsindikatoren
[journal article]

Lepenies, Philipp

Abstract

The goal of governments is to enhance the well-being of their citizens. In the aftermath of World War II, national product (be it gross national or gross domestic) and its rate of growth were seen as a proxy indicator to measure well-being – making economic growth doubtless the most powerful politic... view more

The goal of governments is to enhance the well-being of their citizens. In the aftermath of World War II, national product (be it gross national or gross domestic) and its rate of growth were seen as a proxy indicator to measure well-being – making economic growth doubtless the most powerful political indicator in history. Yet, in light of the negative effects of growth such as climate change and due to methodological progress in measuring well-being or happiness, governments have begun to reconsider the belief that growth automatically leads to improved well-being. The Sustainable Development Goals of 2015 underline a universal desire to “transform our world” and the fact that this transformation is to be done with the help of alternative statistical indicators. In the last decade, a number of national governments have embarked on a largely unnoticed, but revolutionary OECD-driven endeavor: to fix national alternative measures of well-being “beyond GDP”, to decide in a participatory manner which indicators matter to people and to discuss which new or adapted notion of progress is valid in the 21st century. This paper will highlight a number of these national cases and analyze the context in which these initiatives evolved. It will be shown that although revolutionary in their aspirations, many initiatives do not live up to their expectations. This has to do with the manner in which they were executed, with the political unwillingness to really consider alternatives to GDP and to allow broad participation. But it might also show that the expectations regarding the power of indicators to guide policies might be exaggerated.... view less

Keywords
indicator research; well-being; growth; welfare; political activity; measurement; theory; happiness; progress; construction of indicators; political development; quality of life

Classification
Political Process, Elections, Political Sociology, Political Culture
Methods and Techniques of Data Collection and Data Analysis, Statistical Methods, Computer Methods

Free Keywords
Indicators; Alternative Measures of Well-Being; Progress; Participation; Beyond GDP

Document language
English

Publication Year
2019

Page/Pages
p. 288-312

Journal
Historical Social Research, 44 (2019) 2

Issue topic
Governing by Numbers - Key Indicators and the Politics of Expectations

ISSN
0172-6404

Status
Published Version; peer reviewed

Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution 4.0


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© 2007 - 2025 Social Science Open Access Repository (SSOAR).
Based on DSpace, Copyright (c) 2002-2022, DuraSpace. All rights reserved.