Wellbeing Research

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• Consumption and production
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  • Wellbeing in Government
  • Wellbeing research

To deliver the strategy commitment, the Sustainable Development Unit (SDU) in Defra commissioned independent research from a number of organisations.

The Sustainable Development Research Network (SDRN) has produced an initial discussion paper and a policy briefing to provide an accessible introduction to the different definitions and conceptualisations of wellbeing, the types of research approaches employed and their main strengths and weaknesses. It has also developed an on-line wellbeing bibliography. Further details can be found on the SDRN website

In addition, SDU commissioned a further four research projects detailed below. Read the synthesis report of these projects here.
           
Sheffield University’s Centre for Wellbeing in Public Policy has completed two research projects on wellbeing. The first of these, Influences on personal wellbeing and its application to policy making, reviews the evidence on what factors influence wellbeing; considers how these might vary according to different definitions of wellbeing; and the policy significance of these.

The second project by Sheffield University, Relationship between sustainable development and wellbeing, looks at evidence on the relationship between wellbeing and sustainable development and how a wellbeing focus in policy might conflict with or support sustainable development; how wellbeing is best conceptualised in sustainable development policy contexts; and how a wellbeing focus might facilitate sustainable development policy:

The New Economic Foundation has also examined the evidence base on wellbeing and sustainable development in “Sustainable development and wellbeing: relationships, challenges and policy implications” . An Executive Summary is also available.

Both projects on sustainable development and wellbeing were presented and discussed at the SDRN annual conference on 21 September 2006. Further details can be found on SDRN’s website.

Levett-Therivel Sustainability Consultants have undertaken a review of policy interventions to improve wellbeing outside the UK: case studies can be found in the main document, "Wellbeing: international policy interventions" with an overview of a wider range of initiatives in the Annex.

A rapid review of the evidence base on the links between the natural environment and mental, physical and social wellbeing by Dr Julie Newton can be downloaded here.