Module 9: Wellbeing policy impact assessment
A compass to assess impacts
When a right mix has been found between transformative and reactive/ anticipatory policies (Section 9.5), the impacts of policy proposals on wellbeing outcomes need to be considered in a holistic way. A growing number of governments are using their wellbeing frameworks as a compass to assess impacts on current wellbeing, wellbeing inequalities and future wellbeing outcomes.
For example,
in Bhutan, the Gross National Happiness Commission (an overarching government planning body) uses multi-criteria analysis to encourage policymakers to take into account all of the domains of their Gross National Happiness framework and to inform decision-making about policy proposals.
The government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) has developed a Wellbeing Impact Assessment template to help plan for and make decisions based on a fuller understanding of the impacts of policy proposals on wellbeing, both in terms of co-benefits as well as trade-offs. Wellbeing Impact Assessments (WIAs) are required for all Cabinet submissions and budget proposals.
In both Canada and New Zealand, policymakers similarly use their wellbeing frameworks to assess the impacts of government budget decisions and policy development on wellbeing outcomes.
Watch the video from Dasho Lhatu, Director of Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Centre to learn more about how the Gross National Framework is used to inform policy development in Bhutan.
Bringing together multidimensional expertise
A common challenge for the implementation of wellbeing impact assessments is the need for analysts to take a multidimensional view. Policymakers responsible for policy development in specific domains may have little knowledge of wellbeing concerns in other domains. The need for multidimensional assessments can quickly push policymakers beyond their areas of expertise and could place considerable demands on time and capacities.
What this comes down to is that collaboration between policymakers and subject matter experts with a wide variety of expertise is central to wellbeing economy impact assessments. This can be challenging within existing institutional settings, as policymakers and subject matter experts are often clustered within different departments, each with their own lexicons and priorities.
Several governments have found practical ways around this issue, for example by establishing multidisciplinary teams or commissions that bring together the wide array of specialist knowledge that is needed to assess the multidimensional impact of policies, such as in Bhutan and the Australian Capital Territory.
The Cornwall online Development and Decision Wheel
In the United Kingdom, the Cornwall Council has developed an online, collaborative tool for policy impact assessments that policymakers from across departments jointly complete. Click on the card to find out more about how the Cornwall online Development and Decision Wheel helps to bring together multidisciplinary expertise.