OECD Better Life Index
The OECD Better Life Index, launched in May 2011 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development following a decade of work on this issue, is a first attempt to bring together internationally comparable measures of well-being in line with the recommendations of the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress also known as the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission. The recommendations made by this Commission sought to address concerns that standard macroeconomic statistics like GDP failed to give a true account of people’s current and future well-being.[1] The OECD Better Life Initiative includes two main elements: :"Your Better Life Index" and "How’s Life?"
History and methodology
Your Better Life Index (BLI),[2] launched in May 2011, is an interactive tool that allows people to compare countries’ performances according to their own preferences in terms of what makes for a better life. It was designed by Berlin-based agency Raureif in collaboration with Moritz Stefaner. First published on 24 May 2011, it includes 11 "dimensions" of well-being:[3]
- Housing: housing conditions and spendings (e.g. real estate pricing)
- Income: household income and financial wealth
- Jobs: earnings, job security and unemployment
- Community: quality of social support network
- Education: education and what you get out of it
- Environment: quality of environment (e.g. environmental health)
- Governance: involvement in democracy
- Health
- Life Satisfaction: level of happiness
- Safety: murder and assault rates
- Work-life balance
Each topic is built using one to three specific indicators. In the case of work-life balance, for example, three separate measures are considered: the number of employees working long hours; the percentage of working mothers; and the time people devote to leisure and personal activities. The BLI seeks to engage citizens in the discussion of what matters most in their lives and what governments should do to improve well-being.
Canberra, has been ranked as the world's most liveable city according to the OECD Better Life Index for the second consecutive year, based on results published on 6 October 2014 [4][5][6]
How’s Life?[7] offers a comprehensive picture of what makes up people’s lives in 40 countries worldwide. The report assesses the above 11 specific aspects of life as part of the OECD’s ongoing effort to devise new measures for assessing well-being that go beyond GDP.
New indicators and dimensions are planned be added to the Better Life Index in the future. For example, the Better Life Index was criticised for not showing inequalities in a society.[8] Future editions of the index are planned to take inequalities into account, by focusing on well-being achievements of specific groups of the population (women and men and low and high socio-economic status).
Rankings
2016 ranking
Legend:
Explained by: Housing
Explained by: Income
Explained by: Jobs |
Explained by: Community
Explained by: Education
Explained by: Environment |
Explained by: Civic engagement
Explained by: Health
Explained by: Life Satisfaction |
Explained by: Safety
Explained by: Work-Life Balance |
Overall Rank [9][10] |
Country | Housing | Income | Jobs | Community | Education | Environment | Civic engagement | Health | Life Satisfaction | Safety | Work-Life Balance |
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See also
- Bhutan GNH Index
- Broad measures of economic progress
- Disability-adjusted life year
- Economics
- Full cost accounting
- Green national product
- Green gross domestic product (Green GDP)
- Gender-related Development Index
- Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI)
- Global Peace Index
- Gross National Happiness
- Gross National Well-being (GNW)
- Happiness economics
- Happy Planet Index (HPI)
- Human Development Index (HDI)
- ISEW (Index of sustainable economic welfare)
- Progress (history)
- Progressive utilization theory
- Legatum Prosperity Index
- Leisure satisfaction
- Living planet index
- Law of Social Cycle
- Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
- Money-rich, time-poor
- Post-materialism
- Psychometrics
- Subjective life satisfaction
- Where-to-be-born Index
- Wikiprogress
- World Values Survey (WVS)
References
- ↑ Gerhardt, Tina (20 June 2012). "Rio+20 Kicks Off". The Progressive.
- ↑ http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org
- ↑ Marber, Peter. "Brave New Math". World Policy Journal (Spring 2012). Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ↑ http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/countries/australia/
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/upshot/want-an-easy-life-try-canberra-australia.html?_r=0&abt=0002&abg=1
- ↑ http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/canberra-the-best-place-to-live-in-the-worlds-best-country-oecd-20141007-10rfn7.html
- ↑ "How's life? Measuring well-being.". 2013. doi:10.1787/9789264201392-en.
- ↑ http://www.lemonde.fr/economie/article/2011/05/25/la-difficile-mesure-du-bien-etre-des-populations_1527397_3234.html#ens_id=1527182
- ↑ "2016 Update Report download" (PDF). Retrieved 20 Mar 2016.
- ↑ 2016 Table download (XLS), Figure2.2, retrieved 20 Mar 2016
External links
- OECD Better Life Initiative
- Your Better Life Index
- OECD work on measuring well-being and progress
- http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2011/05/well-being_and_wealth