Concept of wellbeing

Wellbeing concepts and challenges. Discussion paper by Fiona McAllister for the Sustainable Development Research Network, December 2005. This paper seeks to provide an overview of the research evidence regarding wellbeing as a concept and its utility in future policymaking. It provides an introduction to the different definitions and conceptualisations of wellbeing, the research approaches employed and their main strengths and weaknesses. It then goes on to begin to address the issue of how public policy might be changed by a more explicit focus on wellbeing.