Paul Allin – författare

THE WELLBEING OF NATIONSMEANING, MOTIVE AND MEASUREMENT ‘A great book that adds much needed well-reasoned argument and weight to the global debate on how we better measure what is getting better and what is not. Hand and Allin chart a series of paths away from the beguiling simplicity of GDP, show where those routes began and to where they might lead. Slowly we are learning to better count what really matters in our lives. This book explains the international collaboration behind this new learning and moves it far forward.’Daniel Dorling, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford How and why to use new measures of national wellbeing We have known for many years that standard measures of a country’s economic performance, like GDP and GNP, fail to tell the whole story about progress and wellbeing. The Wellbeing of Nations explores national and cross-national initiatives to build wider measures. It covers economic performance, quality of life, the state of the environment, progress, development and sustainability. The authors take the view that national wellbeing — how a country is doing — embraces all these aspects and so measures of real progress need these dimensions. This book: Presents insights drawn from a wide range of national and international developments and provides an extensive appendix of resource materials.Provides an in-depth study of the UK measuring national wellbeing programme, with which both authors continue to be involved.Explores all the main approaches to wellbeing, such as developments to the national economic accounts, Sen’s capabilities approach and the concept and measurement of sustainable development.Offers a historical perspective on progress and examines current developments in this field.The authors note that it is still early days in the practical application of these wider measures by government and business, but that use should be the main factor driving their development and production. Aspirations are high and there is much to be gained by the use of such wider measures of national wellbeing, progress and development around the world. The Wellbeing of Nations is aimed at statisticians, economists, social researchers and policy makers in government, including national and international statistics offices. Academics in development studies, economics, environmental studies, positive psychology, health research, anthropology, political studies and sociology will also benefit from this book.

What is national wellbeing and what is progress? Why measure these definitions? Why are measures beyond economic performance needed and how will they be used? How do we measure national wellbeing & turn the definitions into observable quantities? Where are we now and where to next? These questions are asked and answered in this much needed, timely book. The Wellbeing of Nations provides an accessible and comprehensive overview of the measurement of national well-being, examining whether national wellbeing is more than the sum of the wellbeing of everyone in the country, and identifying and reviewing requirements for new measures. It begins with definitions, describes how to operationalize those definitions, and takes a critical look at the uses to which such measures are to be put. The authors examine initiatives from around the world, using the UK ‘measuring national wellbeing programme’ as a case study throughout the book, along with case studies drawn from other countries, as well as discussion of the position in some countries not yet drawn into the national wellbeing scene.

What is national wellbeing and what is progress? Why measure these definitions? Why are measures beyond economic performance needed and how will they be used? How do we measure national wellbeing & turn the definitions into observable quantities? Where are we now and where to next? These questions are asked and answered in this much needed, timely book. The Wellbeing of Nations provides an accessible and comprehensive overview of the measurement of national well-being, examining whether national wellbeing is more than the sum of the wellbeing of everyone in the country, and identifying and reviewing requirements for new measures. It begins with definitions, describes how to operationalize those definitions, and takes a critical look at the uses to which such measures are to be put. The authors examine initiatives from around the world, using the UK ‘measuring national wellbeing programme’ as a case study throughout the book, along with case studies drawn from other countries, as well as discussion of the position in some countries not yet drawn into the national wellbeing scene.

This book is about the function and use of official statistics. It welcomes the aspiration for official statistics to be an indispensable element in the information system of a democratic society, serving the government, the economy and the public with data about the economic, demographic, social and environmental situation. The book identifies the political role of official statisticians, who decided what gets measured as well as how it is measured. While thousands of official statistics are published every year, and some are quoted by politicians, used by policy-makers or reported in the media, the authors observe that, in the main, official statistics do not feature much in everyday lives of people and businesses. The book concludes with suggestions for more that should be done, especially in the context of improving wellbeing and helping meet the worldwide set of sustainable development goals set for 2030.