Measuring well-being
The Carnegie UK Trust’s Measuring Wellbeing in Northern Ireland report looks at how social progress is assessed and lessons from Scotland and Scandinavia.
In 2009, the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission found GDP to be unreliable as the sole indicator of social progress. GDP indicated that between 2003 and 2008 economic output in the UK had increased by 11 per cent, even though median incomes remained the same. According to the Carnegie UK Trust’s Measuring Wellbeing report, this presents an opportunity to redefine social progress and measure it more effectively.
After the Belfast city centre riots in August 2013, then Chief Constable Matt Baggott identified long-term problems arising from sectarian conflict which undermine well-being. These included high rates of suicide, health inequality and low educational achievement in communities with strong grievances that felt left behind.
Legacy issues can get in the way of the “bread and butter issues” which should be political priorities. Poverty and social exclusion surveys indicate that one in three people in Northern Ireland suffer from some form of deprivation. This can affect participation in civic life due to citizens having fewer resources or the belief it will be “fruitless”.
At the launch of the report, Finance Minister Simon Hamilton noted that “not everything that can be measured matters, and not everything that matters is measured.” Denmark and Norway are ranked among the happiest countries in the world with their economic performance, tax regimes and dynamic approach to government, illustrating that “there is more to life than adding up the pounds, shillings and pence.”
Hamilton remarked that Northern Ireland “shares attributes with our cousins in Scandinavia and should emulate their governance arrangements.” He wants to put the citizen at the centre of delivery and also learn from the Scottish Government’s reforms.
Scotland has created a world-leading approach to well-being as public sector bodies, local government and partner organisations focus on tackling problems as a single organisation. Changes have been made to the senior structure of the Civil Service to help form a single leadership.
In order to tackle poverty and social exclusion through joined-up government, the Delivering Social Change Framework has been set up by the Northern Ireland Executive. Seven signature programmes were announced in 2012 and 2013 with the aim of improving literacy and numeracy levels, creating jobs within local communities and offering family support.
The report hopes that the 11 super-councils will take the lead in community planning and well-being and make social progress a higher priority. The leadership role of cities is significant. Research carried out for Belfast City Council by the IBM Smarter Cities Challenge has recommended a common approach for measuring well-being. The Office for National Statistics has also recommended the creation of a subjective well-being survey on life satisfaction.
A stronger emphasis on preventative measures to reduce costs and enable a greater sense of ownership, with the public sector coming “together in problem solving mode”, has been suggested by the Carnegie report. A government-wide well-being approach could improve Northern Ireland’s performance on transport, infrastructure, environmental sustainability and mental heal
