a well-being manifesto for a flourishing society

One of the key aims of a democratic government is to promote the good life: a flourishing society, where citizens are happy, healthy, capable and engaged � in other words with high levels of well-being. This well-being manifesto seeks to answer the question �what would politics look like if promoting people �s well-being was one of government�s main aims?�

Well-being is more than just happiness. As well as feeling satisfied and happy, well-being means developing as a person, being fulfilled, and making a contribution to the community.

Where does our well-being come from? Research suggests that there are three main influences:

• Our parents, through our genes and our upbringing, influence about 50 per cent of the variation in happiness between people.
• Our circumstances, which include our income, as well as other external factors such as the climate and where we live, account for only 10 per cent. Does money make us happier?Not after our basic needs are met, because we are always moving the goalposts. We adapt very quickly to the material gains which come from increases in income and we also compare ourselves to others who have more and this can lead to dissatisfaction.
• Our outlook and activities � like our friendships, being involved in our community, sport, and hobbies as well as our attitude to life � account for the remaining 40 per cent. This is where we have the most opportunity to make a difference to well-being.

What can government do?

Policies can�t make us happy or more engaged with life, but they can shape the culture and society in which we live. Many policies tend to focus on enhancing people�s income by growing the economy. This has only a small effect on well-being, however, and may be achieved at the expense of our time with others, the environment in which we live, or the vibrancy of local communities. This well-being manifesto suggests eight areas where government could act to promote well-being:

1. Measure what matters
   A detailed set of national well-being accounts would allow us to understand well-being better and track changes over time. Local government could carry out well-being audits of their communities in order to help integrate their services and allocate their funds more effectively and efficiently.
2. Create a well-being economy
   Growing the economy does not necessarily result in higher levels of well-being. So what directions should the economy take to promote well-being?High-quality work can profoundly affect our well-being by providing us with purpose, challenge, and opportunities for social relationships. It can constitute a meaningful part of our identity. There are many models of good workplaces whose lessons need to be drawn out and disseminated to employers. Well-being research provides many insights into what makes for good work. Unemployment has terrible effects on the well-being of the unemployed, but also lowers the well-being of the employed. Hidden unemployment in the UK is high, with many incapacity-benefit claimants able and willing to work but not counted in the unemployment figures. The Government needs to help these of ten hard-to-reach groups to find meaningful work. The well-being of future generations depends on not destroying our environment. We need to start moving towards a system of taxing environmental bad�s, such as fossil fuels, and reducing the tax burden on good�s, such as work. This could pay a double dividend of protecting the environment and improving people�s well-being.
3. Reclaim our time
   We systematically over-estimate the amount of happiness extra income will bring us and work too many hours to get it. We fail to account for the fact that our expectations also rise with our incomes. Spending more time with our children, families, friends, and communities would bring us more happiness. We should start taking our productivity gains in the form of time. We should end individual opt-outs to the EU Working Time Directive and thus institute a maximum 48-hour working week. We could then reduce this maximum working week until we reach a maximum 35-hour week. This could be achieved whilst maintaining our present standards of living within around 15 years if accompanied by appropriate pension reform and a managed migration policy. We should accompany this with increased flexible working provisions and more bank holidays.
4. Create an education system that promotes flourishing
   The purpose of the education system should be to create capable and emotionally well-rounded young people who are happy and motivated. At its heart, education policy must acknowledge that the best way of enabling people to realize their potential is to value them for who they are rather than their performance against targets....

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