Lecture slides on urban development, wealth and well-being for students from Erasmus University Rotterdam, 10 March 2017. Presented by Jasper Bergink of For A State of Happiness

1. Happiness & the City:
The promise of well-being policies
Jasper Bergink
Blogger and happiness researcher
Erasmus University visit, Brussels, 10 March 2017
jasper@forastateofhappiness.com
www.forastateofhappiness.com

2. About me

3. Agenda for today
• Well-being policies are the great promise of
our times (approx. 30 min. including your
questions)
• Case-study: how would you shape policies to
enhance well-being in the city (approx. 20
min.)

4. Well-being policies are the great
promise of our times
• Data for well-being policies are available
Large amounts of data on happiness exist
• Global and EU governments should play a role…
Collecting data ‘beyond GDP’ is necessary
• …but the real difference is made at local level
Attention for well-being improves social,
environmental and health policy

5. Happiness is all about statistics!
• Happiness is personal, quality of life is
measurable
• Term ‘Beyond GDP’ refers to efforts to go
beyond economic data in analysis and policy
formulation
• Alternative indicators focus on what GDP
misses

7. The World Happiness Report is the
leading alternative for GDP
• Generic and high level data
• Six explaining variables: GDP; social support,
healthy life expectancy; freedom; generosity;
corruption
• Northern Europe and Switzerland top the list

8. Who’s the best of the Benelux?

9. In Bhutan, happiness is a public task
• Gross National Happiness underpins
government policy – in theory
• Concept with some methodological flaws
– Mix of objective and subjective criteria; sufficiency
targets; group of ‘narrowly happy’
• Practical implementation is limited
– Screening tool not systematically used; GNH
means different things for different policy-makers

10. Who’s the best of the Benelux?

11. OECD provides good screening tool
• Better Life Index uses dashboard approach
• Data allows comparison between countries or
regions
• Comparison useful to assess strengths and
weaknesses

12. OECD: Brussels

13. OECD: South-Holland

14. The SPI goes to the next level
• The Social Progress Index has a more in-depth
approach then the OECD (50 vs 9 indicators)
• Strong emphasis on social and environmental
indicators
• Comparison relative to regions with similar
GDP per capita!

17. Data need a narrative
• Regional and local governments can achieve
most in developing policies or ‘interventions’
• Many local, regional and sectoral initiatives
– ‘Happiness budget’ (Almelo, Netherlands)
– Jacksonville Community Indicators (Florida, US)
– ‘Five ways of well-being’

18. Case studies - explanation
• What would you advise the mayor to do to improve
well-being in the city?
• Groups of around four people; approx. 10 minutes for
discussion
• Start with one of the case studies; feel free to do a
second if there is time
• Appoint one person to present results to the group

19. Case studies - feedback
• Case study A: New York

21. Case studies - feedback
• Case study B: Utrecht
• Case study C: Apeldoorn (Netherlands)
• Case study D: London
• Case study E: Sittard (Netherlands)

23. Fulfill the promise of
well-being policies
• Reshape high-level policy objectives
Inequality-adjusted growth as a goal?
• Monitor and benchmark performance
Use collected ‘beyond GDP’ is necessary
• Make the difference on the local level
Social, environmental and health policies are in
development

24. Thank you
www.forastateofhappiness.com
jasper@forastateofhappiness.com
Twitter: @jbergink