Thanks to everyone who joined our last session—it was a great exchange of ideas! For those who missed it, no worries—we’ve got you covered with a quick recap and all the resources from the meeting.
What We Talked About:
A HUGE THANK YOU to Michael Joffe, who gave a thought-provoking presentation on a “responsible economy” and the role of social determinants in health outcomes. He also stressed the need for a new way to measure economic success—going beyond GDP to consider well-being, health, and basic human needs.
Lindsay McLaren also touched on Canada’s Quality of Life Framework and how it might not be moving the needle in the right ways.
Conor shared some of the forthcoming events hosted by Therapy and Social Change Network which you can see here.
Peter shared about his involvement in a Repair Cafe with Together Culture.
We shared the Key Messaging for the UN Summit for the Future
We also shared the slide deck of examples of Wellbeing Measurement Frameworks from around the world.
Caroline Drommen asked if there were experts in International Trade and a Wellbeing Economy- if you have any inputs on this- please email her here: cdommen@bluewin.ch
And @Caroline Whyte shared more on the Irish Rethinking Growth conference: http://www.rethinking-growth.ie
We wrapped up with some great questions and ideas for how we could shift toward a more responsible and people-centred economy.
What’s Next:
Catch the Recording: If you missed the meeting or want to revisit any part of it, here’s the Zoom recording:
Passcode: VtA+1v$2
Michael’s Presentation: See the attached slides and check out his free book here.
Join Us on WEAll Together: We’re excited to take these discussions to our new digital platform—click here to join the Beyond GDP Working Group on WEAll Together and stay in the loop.
Looking Ahead to November:
Save the Date: Thursday, November 7th
This will be our final meeting for 2024, and we’d love to hear your ideas on how we can shape the working group in 2025. Want to present at the November session? Let me know!
Let’s keep the momentum going as we wrap up the year and start thinking about what’s next!
Just listening back thanks a million for sending on! We could look at raising more awareness of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance this should be media and society focus to see that another model of the world is possible!! Thanks a million Lizzy
Our final Beyond GDP meeting of the year- next week Thursday, 7 November. 2024-11-07T14:00:00Z→2024-11-07T16:00:00Z
This session promises to end the year off with a bang and we will be using our full two hours to get into some of these topics.
Meeting Agenda:
0–5 mins: Welcome and Check-in
5–30 mins: Opening by Rutger Hoekstra
Rutger has just returned from the OECD World Forum and the Summit for the Future, so he will be sharing some of the latest updates and insights.
30–65 mins: Mark Fabian – The Wellbeing State: Transforming Public Policy
Mark will discuss advocacy for a public policy paradigm that prioritises human wellbeing over narrow economic objectives, emphasising how policymaking could be done in practice. His insights draw on UK and New Zealand case studies, exploring how to effectively meet policymakers where they are rather than imposing rigid structures.
Mark Fabian is an associate professor of public policy at the University of Warwick and an affiliate fellow at Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy.
65-80 mins: Members: WeHappers invite you to test their new web app: happiness.wehappers.org
80–115 mins: Marina Gattás: WEAll’s Culture and Public Policy Lead will be speaking on the Impact Economy and the G20 in Brazil @MarinaGattas
115–120 mins: Reflections on the year, planning for 2025, and wrap-up.
Looking forward to reconnecting with everyone and hearing your thoughts on the next steps for our group in 2025.
This is a quick reminder that our final Beyond GDP meeting of the year begins promptly at the hour today (in 30 mins time).
What to Expect:
Mark Fabian will present on The Wellbeing State, discussing transformative public policy focused on human wellbeing. His talk will include practical examples from the UK and New Zealand, followed by a discussion.
Marina will close with a session on Impact Economy and the G20 in Brazil, offering insights into the intersection of impact-focused policy and global economic discussions.
We’ll also wrap up with a discussion on plans for 2025.
Is there a recording of this session I’m so sorry I missed it-I’m still getting used to the hub and couldn’t find the link!! Thanks a million Lizzy (lost on a Monday!) ps I saw somewhere on a thread here but can’t find it now of someone writing fiction based on a wellbeing world-I’d love to know the books and recommend them to teachers so if you are that person please get in touch!
I just wanted to say a HUGE thanks to everyone in this Beyond GDP group, especially those who joined our final meeting last week. Much gratitude to Mark and Marina (post-surgery!) for presenting too. It was a truly inspiring session to wrap up 2024.
Meeting Highlights:
For those who couldn’t attend, here are some key takeaways:
Rutger’s Updates: Although Rutger couldn’t attend, I shared his updates from recent summits, including the UN Summit for the Future. Highlighted the newly adopted "Pact for the Future," which emphasises (in Action 53) creating Beyond GDP frameworks and specifically mentions a high-level expert group on sustainable development indicators, going beyond traditional GDP measures. This initiative aims to inform global financial and developmental policies in the years ahead. Rutger was also at the OECD World Forum, which showcased all the governments and businesses that are working on a wellbeing economy. Noting Kate Raworth’s keynote as one to look out for.
Mark Fabian’s Presentation on The Wellbeing State: Mark explored how public policy can prioritise wellbeing over economic growth, drawing from his research on cases in the UK and New Zealand. He challenged traditional metrics-driven policymaking and emphasised the need for adaptive, community-centred approaches that reflect local realities. Mark’s insights on policy, particularly on “new public management,” resonated strongly, sparking a lively discussion on balancing top-down strategies with bottom-up engagement.
Marina’s Insights on Impact Economy and G20 in Brazil: Marina shared her experience advocating for a wellbeing-centered framework within Brazil’s national impact economy. She outlined the progress made within the National Impact Economy Strategy and the exciting potential of Brazil’s initiatives to integrate wellbeing measures at various governmental levels, reflecting Brazil’s social and environmental realities.
The Zoom Recording of the Meeting is below:
Passcode: j?F1D^20
We ended up going over time (apologies for my poor time management) and we were not able to hear from We The Happers- who were about to share this presentation with you which was on their new tool/test WeHappers Index Test (HIT) which aims to measure and boost Human Happiness, one person at a time. You can email Jef/Jerome cc’d if you would like to engage further.
Let’s start thinking about 2025!
To make next year even more impactful, please share your thoughts via the anonymous feedback form here. We’d love to know what you found valuable this year, your vision for 2025, and your preferences on the frequency of our meetings.
Thank you all for a special year of sharing knowledge and advancing the Beyond GDP agenda. I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together in the new year.
Thanks @Thobile for all the information. I had a look at the WeHappers presentation and was delighted with the index and the idea of collecting this information from individuals. When I read more of the site, I was more confused though. Struggling to understand the HIT economy. Is anyone else engaging with this idea? I’d like to hear your thoughts.
