Module 1: What is a wellbeing economy?
The concept of wellbeing
The concept of wellbeing is familiar the world over. Yet, there are myriad ways in which wellbeing can be defined, with some definitions being narrower than others [1]. For the purpose of this course, ‘wellbeing’ refers to the ability for all people to flourish and enjoy a good quality of life in harmony with the natural environment.
This broad definition of wellbeing highlights the holistic, inclusive, and sustainable notion of wellbeing that is at the heart of the wellbeing economy movement. Personal wellbeing matters, including people’s life circumstances, their happiness, and sense of meaning in life. However, the chosen definition goes beyond the personal level to also emphasise collective and sustainable wellbeing.
Collective wellbeing is more than the sum of individuals’ personal wellbeing and brings in concepts of social cohesion, fairness, inclusion, participation and pro-social behaviours. Sustainable wellbeing emphasises the interconnectedness between our wellbeing as humans and the wellbeing of our natural environment. It embraces an ecocentric rather than a human-centric view on wellbeing.
Katherine Trebeck’s view on wellbeing
In this short video, Katherine Trebeck, co-founder of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance, explains what wellbeing means in her work:
References:
[1] Fletcher, G. (2016). The philosophy of well-being: An introduction. Routledge.