Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress

Insights From Practitioners, Researchers, and Innovators From Around the Globe

Alonzo L. Plough

Culture of Health

Highlights the case for well-being and inter-governmental action
Thoughtful analyses by experts from the Brookings Institution, World Health Organization, RAND Corporation, and major universities around the globe
Case studies of on-the-ground well-being approaches in Bhutan, Nova Scotia, Palestine, Singapore and the United Kingdom
Contextualizes scientific papers with excerpts from a lively, multidisciplinary discussion on each subject
Rich with insights on policy and practice, narratives and culture, equity and shifts in power, and cross-sector collaboration

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress

Insights From Practitioners, Researchers, and Innovators From Around the Globe

Alonzo L. Plough

Description

Cities and countries around the world, from New Zealand to Singapore to Iceland, are starting to take a well-being approach by reorienting policies, budgets and other actions to advance human and planetary well-being. Well-being metrics--holistic measurements of an individual's or population's capacity to thrive, including the condition of their community, society, and environment--provide a nuanced and predictive view that transcends purely economic measures; they illuminate conditions of inequity and despair that other tools ignore, and expand the notion of health beyond simply the absence of disease.

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress summarizes the experiences and insights of practitioners, researchers and innovators from around the world, gathered together by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to explore how a well-being approach might further spread in the United States. Centered in the commitment to balance economic growth--the traditional dashboard of progress--with well-being, this book is a combination of scientific papers, case studies from the field, and excerpts from a lively, multidisciplinary discussion which intentionally connects issues of measurement to the imperative for action. Rich with insights on policy and practice, narratives and culture, equity and shifts in power, alignment with other movements, and cross-sector collaboration, it is intended to inspire governmental leaders, policymakers, economists, measurement scientists, reporters, and others who crave a more integrated and balanced pursuit of progress.

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress

Insights From Practitioners, Researchers, and Innovators From Around the Globe

Alonzo L. Plough

Culture of Health

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword
Richard E. Besser

Introduction: The Imperative for Well-Being in an Inequitable World
Karabi Acharya and Alonzo L. Plough

SECTION I: WHY WELL-BEING

1: Well-Being as a Pathway to Equity
Based on papers prepared for the Bellagio gathering by: Walter Flores, Éloi Laurent, Jennifer Prah-Ruger

2: The Rationale for a Well-Being Approach: Discussion and Case Studies from Bellagio

SECTION II: DEFINING WELL-BEING AND DETERMINING WHETHER WE'RE GETTING THERE

3: The Stories the Numbers Do Not Tell: Measuring and Monitoring Well-Being in a Culture of Health
Carol Graham

4: Why the Dials on the Dashboard Matter: Discussion and Case Studies from Bellagio

SECTION III: NARRATIVES AND CULTURE

5: The Intersection of Narrative and Culture and Their Role in Advancing Well-Being
Nila Fietje and Felicity Thomas

6: The Power of Shifting Narratives, Expectations and Consciousness: Discussion and Case Studies from Bellagio

SECTION IV: THE VITAL ROLE OF GRASSROOTS ENGAGEMENT AND THE NEED TO SHIFT POWER

7: Integration of Well-Being with Resilience and Other Broad Scale Social Change
Anita Chandra

8: The Imperative for Community-Driven Approaches and Radical Inclusion: Discussion and Case Studies from Bellagio

SECTION V: COLLABORATION AND INTEGRATION ACROSS SECTORS AND MOVEMENTS

9: Creating a Government Commitment to Well-Being
Tim Ng

10: A Cross-Sector Approach that Breaks Down Silos and Encourages Innovation: Discussion and Case Studies from Bellagio

SECTION VI: CASE STUDIES

- Bhutan
- Nova Scotia, Canada
- Palestine
- Singapore
- United Kingdom

SECTION VII: REFLECTIONS

11: Afterword: Implications for Well-Being Policies in the United States
Julia E. Rusk

12: Afterword: The Future of Well-Being
Laura Kubzansky

13: Conclusion
Alonzo L. Plough

Bellagio Conference Participant List

Acknowledgments

References

Index

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress

Insights From Practitioners, Researchers, and Innovators From Around the Globe

Alonzo L. Plough

Culture of Health

Author Information

Alonzo L. Plough, PhD, MPH, MA, is the chief science officer and vice president of Research-Evaluation-Learning at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Plough has had a distinguished career in public health practice, academia, and philanthropy. His work focuses on improving health and well-being, and achieving health equity. Plough serves as a board member for many health and social welfare organizations.

Contributors:

Karabi Acharya, SCD, MHS

Walter Flores, PHD

Éloi Laurent, PHD

Jennifer Prah Ruger, PHD, MSC, MSL, MA

Carol Graham, AB, MA, DPhil

Felicity Thomas, PHD

Nils Fietje, PHD

Anita Chandra, DR.P.H.,M.P.H.

Tim Ng

Julia E. Rusk

Laura D Kubzansky, PhD, MPH

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress

Insights From Practitioners, Researchers, and Innovators From Around the Globe

Alonzo L. Plough

Culture of Health

Reviews and Awards

" wonderful and easy read that both stimulates the mind and the spirit, Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress offers a refreshing and much-needed perspective on the meaning of well-being that is at once rooted in the discourse and worldview of various indigenous communities and in other modern framings around equity, justice, and resilience. From Paraguay to New Zealand to Europe and North America, this book brings together leading thinkers, practitioners, ministers, and philanthropists to consider our collective global understanding of well-being and how it might lead us toward a more equitable world for our grandchildren. We will be reading it and reflecting on it in our work at WE in the World and WIN." -- Somava Saha, Executive Lead, Well Being In the Nation (WIN) Network, Founder and Executive Lead, Well-being and Equity (WE) in the World

"Alonzo Plough has carefully curated insights that illuminate the centrality of communities, social systems, and social determinants, and make explicit the connection between race, residential segregation, and health outcomes in the US. In so doing, Well-Being teaches us what it truly means to build a culture of health." -- Angela Glover Blackwell, JD, Founder in Residence, PolicyLink

"A compelling analysis of why a focus on well-being is optimal for the human condition - with health equity at the center - and how to achieve it through community-based policymaking." -- Arachu Castro, Ph.D., MPH, Samuel Z. Stone Chair of Public Health in Latin America and Director of the Collaborative Group for Health Equity in Latin America, Tulane University

"The fundamental culture shift in business catalyzed by the B Corp movement reflects the same change in our definition of progress desperately needed across all sectors. This book makes a compelling case for using well-being as our collective north star by combining visionary ideas with practical examples for putting these ideas in action." -- Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-founder, B Lab, the nonprofit behind the B Corp movement

"As recent days have shown us our current systems are filled with challenges. It is imperative we go beyond traditional national measures like GDP and be more inclusive of cities in our global operating models if we wish to respond to systemic stressors and inevitable shocks ... Well-Being is an important read for policy makers and practitioners alike." -- Grant Ervin, MPIA, Chief Resilience Officer of the City of Pittsburgh

"Powerful and practical, this reflective collection of futuristic essays paints a fascinating universe of considerations for defining the very soul of health and well-being." -- Howard K. Koh, MD, MPH, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School