Beyond GDP: Well-being and SDGs in policy making

Hosted by the Dutch Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Finance and Foreign Affairs, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency

Increasingly, quality of life and well-being are considered key factors in the development of society. Measuring progress by solely looking at economic indicators such as gross domestic product (GDP) ignores the complexity of society and individual and societal well-being. Therefore, the interest of policy-makers to take non-economic factors into account is growing, but at the same time application is complex.

The annual Dutch Monitor of Well-being and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) looks at the different indicators of well-being for current generations, but also asks to what extent future generations will be able to reach a satisfying level of well-being and whether our lifestyle affects well-being in other countries. The integrated framework on well-being and SDG progress provides useful information on where we are on the road towards 2030, when all 17 SDGs need to be achieved.

The challenge faced, and the aim of this online conference, is 1) to better understand the complexities and the relationships between different indicators for well-being and the SDGs (both synergies and trade-offs) and 2) to learn how to apply information on well-being and SDGs in policy cycles. What tools can for example be used for forecasting, policy evaluations and explicit goalsetting?

In this online conference, these different questions will be addressed in presentations, Q&A sessions and a panel discussion. We invite participants to ask questions, share insights and connect with each other.