International Examples of a Wellbeing Approach in Practice

The Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is working on incorporating a wellbeing approach into policy. In that context, the ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies wrote a report that examines five cases of ‘wellbeing economy policy’, from Wales (Well-being of Future Generations Act), Scotland (Green Infrastructure Strategic Intervention), France (Green Budget), Portugal (Recovery and Resilience Plan) and Canada (Federal Sustainable Development Strategy). The aim of this report was to learn from and draw inspiration from other countries. Each case was briefly described. The vision, implementation, strategy, principles of ‘wellbeing policy design’, policy impact, evaluation and lessons learned were analyzed. Some general lessons were drawn.

The analysis shows a number of preconditions for policy impact: a policy design process that facilitates support and cooperation from a variety of stakeholders for the vision, a strategy and plan designed from that vision, selection of policies based on that vision and strategy, addressing of trade-offs and tensions, and a robust impact assessment.