Overview

This insightful Modern Guide explores heterodox approaches to modern wellbeing research, with a specific focus on how wellbeing is understood and practised, exploring policies and actions which are taken to shape wellbeing. It evaluates contemporary trends in wellbeing research, including the sometimes competing definitions, methods and approaches offered by different disciplinary perspectives.   Exploring the threats to wellbeing from the environments we inhabit and the situations societies create and endure, chapters particularly look at wellbeing inequalities and the experiences of marginalised groups, demonstrating the connection between wellbeing and political struggle. Provocative commentaries from leading scholars plus chapters on original theoretical developments and research studies across diverse world regions reveal wellbeing research based on situated practices, social differences and specific cultural contexts. This Modern Guide assesses the influence and impact of wellbeing research on policy and practice across a range of sectors and spaces, including: wellbeing budgeting, nature-based interventions, urban design, environmental resource management, prisons, housing, international migration, and post-conflict situations.   This will be a useful read for scholars of human geography, social policy, urban studies, anthropology, political science and environmental economics. Policy makers will also appreciate the suggestions for improvement to wellbeing policies and practices.

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9781789900156

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Reviews

'A powerful, thought-provoking and timely contribution, offering new insights that will greatly enhance our understanding of well-being and its determinants.' -- Dimitris Ballas, University of Groningen, the Netherlands 'Wellbeing has been a vibrant field of research across a number of disciplines for several years. However, the experience of the pandemic, which has exposed deeply ingrained inequalities and injustices, makes the concept more relevant than ever. The pandemic raises the possibility of transformational change that could lead to a refocusing of policy goals away from narrowly-defined economic indicators to those focused on a multidimensional conception of wellbeing. As such, this volume is incredibly well timed. It brings together contributions from across the social sciences to demonstrate how understanding the ways in which wellbeing is mobilised as a concept in research, practice and policy is central to these endeavours. In highlighting practice-based approaches the volume reflects on how wellbeing could form the foundation of a post-pandemic world. In doing so, it provides a rich and valuable contribution not only to wellbeing scholarship but also to practical debates on how to take this agenda forward most effectively.' -- Ian Bache, University of Sheffield, UK 'An essential practical aide for charting the challenges facing us today with the ambition they merit, A Modern Guide to Wellbeing Research offers guidance for actions and policies to improve wellbeing while casting some light on the different understandings of this important, but complex concept.' -- Katherine Trebeck, Wellbeing Economy Alliance 'Wellbeing is the overarching aim of social science and needs a multidisciplinary dialogue and approach. For sustainable, inclusive well-being as both a goal and process we need to draw on the strengths of all academic disciplines. You won't agree with everything here, I don't, but that's the point as we work out what really matters, how we can study it and how to use that knowledge in practice.' -- Nancy Hey, Executive Director, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, UK

'A powerful, thought-provoking and timely contribution, offering new insights that will greatly enhance our understanding of well-being and its determinants.' - Dimitris Ballas, University of Groningen, the Netherlands 'Wellbeing has been a vibrant field of research across a number of disciplines for several years. However, the experience of the pandemic, which has exposed deeply ingrained inequalities and injustices, makes the concept more relevant than ever. The pandemic raises the possibility of transformational change that could lead to a refocusing of policy goals away from narrowly-defined economic indicators to those focused on a multidimensional conception of wellbeing. As such, this volume is incredibly well timed. It brings together contributions from across the social sciences to demonstrate how understanding the ways in which wellbeing is mobilised as a concept in research, practice and policy is central to these endeavours. In highlighting practice-based approaches the volume reflects on how wellbeing could form the foundation of a post-pandemic world. In doing so, it provides a rich and valuable contribution not only to wellbeing scholarship but also to practical debates on how to take this agenda forward most effectively.' - Ian Bache, University of Sheffield, UK 'An essential practical aide for charting the challenges facing us today with the ambition they merit, A Modern Guide to Wellbeing Research offers guidance for actions and policies to improve wellbeing while casting some light on the different understandings of this important, but complex concept.' -- Katherine Trebeck, Wellbeing Economy Alliance 'Wellbeing is the overarching aim of social science and needs a multidisciplinary dialogue and approach. For sustainable, inclusive well-being as both a goal and process we need to draw on the strengths of all academic disciplines. You won'AEot agree with everything here, I don'AEot, but that'AEos the point as we work out what really matters, how we can study it and how to use that knowledge in practice.' - Nancy Hey, Executive Director, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, UK

'A powerful, thought-provoking and timely contribution, offering new insights that will greatly enhance our understanding of well-being and its determinants.' -- Dimitris Ballas, University of Groningen, the Netherlands 'Wellbeing has been a vibrant field of research across a number of disciplines for several years. However, the experience of the pandemic, which has exposed deeply ingrained inequalities and injustices, makes the concept more relevant than ever. The pandemic raises the possibility of transformational change that could lead to a refocusing of policy goals away from narrowly-defined economic indicators to those focused on a multidimensional conception of wellbeing. As such, this volume is incredibly well timed. It brings together contributions from across the social sciences to demonstrate how understanding the ways in which wellbeing is mobilised as a concept in research, practice and policy is central to these endeavours. In highlighting practice-based approaches the volume reflects on how wellbeing could form the foundation of a post-pandemic world. In doing so, it provides a rich and valuable contribution not only to wellbeing scholarship but also to practical debates on how to take this agenda forward most effectively.' -- Ian Bache, University of Sheffield, UK 'An essential practical aide for charting the challenges facing us today with the ambition they merit, A Modern Guide to Wellbeing Research offers guidance for actions and policies to improve wellbeing while casting some light on the different understandings of this important, but complex concept.' -- Katherine Trebeck, Wellbeing Economy Alliance 'Wellbeing is the overarching aim of social science and needs a multidisciplinary dialogue and approach. For sustainable, inclusive well-being as both a goal and process we need to draw on the strengths of all academic disciplines. You won’t agree with everything here, I don’t, but that’s the point as we work out what really matters, how we can study it and how to use that knowledge in practice.' -- Nancy Hey, Executive Director, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, UK

'Wellbeing has been a vibrant field of research across a number of disciplines for several years. However, the experience of the pandemic, which has exposed deeply ingrained inequalities and injustices, makes the concept more relevant than ever. The pandemic raises the possibility of transformational change that could lead to a refocusing of policy goals away from narrowly-defined economic indicators to those focused on a multidimensional conception of wellbeing. As such, this volume is incredibly well timed. It brings together contributions from across the social sciences to demonstrate how understanding the ways in which wellbeing is mobilised as a concept in research, practice and policy is central to these endeavours. In highlighting practice-based approaches the volume reflects on how wellbeing could form the foundation of a post-pandemic world. In doing so, it provides a rich and valuable contribution not only to wellbeing scholarship but also to practical debates on how to take this agenda forward most effectively.' -- Ian Bache, University of Sheffield, UK 'An essential practical aide for charting the challenges facing us today with the ambition they merit, A Modern Guide to Wellbeing Research offers guidance for actions and policies to improve wellbeing while casting some light on the different understandings of this important, but complex concept.' -- Katherine Trebeck, Wellbeing Economy Alliance 'Wellbeing is the overarching aim of social science and needs a multidisciplinary dialogue and approach. For sustainable, inclusive well-being as both a goal and process we need to draw on the strengths of all academic disciplines. You won't agree with everything here, I don't, but that's the point as we work out what really matters, how we can study it and how to use that knowledge in practice.' -- Nancy Hey, Executive Director, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, UK

'A powerful, thought-provoking and timely contribution, offering new insights that will greatly enhance our understanding of well-being and its determinants.' - Dimitris Ballas, University of Groningen, the Netherlands 'Wellbeing has been a vibrant field of research across a number of disciplines for several years. However, the experience of the pandemic, which has exposed deeply ingrained inequalities and injustices, makes the concept more relevant than ever. The pandemic raises the possibility of transformational change that could lead to a refocusing of policy goals away from narrowly-defined economic indicators to those focused on a multidimensional conception of wellbeing. As such, this volume is incredibly well timed. It brings together contributions from across the social sciences to demonstrate how understanding the ways in which wellbeing is mobilised as a concept in research, practice and policy is central to these endeavours. In highlighting practice-based approaches the volume reflects on how wellbeing could form the foundation of a post-pandemic world. In doing so, it provides a rich and valuable contribution not only to wellbeing scholarship but also to practical debates on how to take this agenda forward most effectively.' - Ian Bache, University of Sheffield, UK 'An essential practical aide for charting the challenges facing us today with the ambition they merit, A Modern Guide to Wellbeing Research offers guidance for actions and policies to improve wellbeing while casting some light on the different understandings of this important, but complex concept.' -- Katherine Trebeck, Wellbeing Economy Alliance 'Wellbeing is the overarching aim of social science and needs a multidisciplinary dialogue and approach. For sustainable, inclusive well-being as both a goal and process we need to draw on the strengths of all academic disciplines. You won't agree with everything here, I don't, but that's the point as we work out what really matters, how we can study it and how to use that knowledge in practice.' - Nancy Hey, Executive Director, What Works Centre for Wellbeing, UK

Author Information

Edited by Beverley A. Searle, School of Social Sciences, University of Dundee, Jessica Pykett, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, and Institute for Mental Health, University of Birmingham and Maria Jesus Alfaro-Simmonds, Just Futures Centre for Child, Youth, Family and Community Research, University of Huddersfield, UK

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