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ESRC Research Group on Wellbeing in Developing Countries, 2002-7
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MSc in Wellbeing and Human Development

What is Wellbeing?

The WeD approach to wellbeing considers what people have or do not have (material); what people do or cannot do with it (relational); what people think or feel (subjective).  WeD is grounded in practical research in developing countries. Wellbeing is viewed as a process rather than a state or an outcome, and what people understand by wellbeing is context-specific.  More…
  • The material refers to the ‘stuff’ of wellbeing, such as food, bodies, shelter and the physical environment.  In practical application this typically refers most immediately to economic assets and income, but it should not be restricted to this.
  • The relational concerns social interaction, the rules and practices that govern ‘who gets what and why.’  It involves power and identity, the connections between people and also the making of difference between them. It is the arena of action, which brings the material and subjective to life.
  • The subjective concerns cultural values, ideologies and beliefs and also people’s own perceptions of their situation
These are not different areas of life, but interlinked.

In policy terms the WeD approach builds on and advances livelihoods approaches which promote an integrated actor-oriented focus on people's lives emphasising strengths rather than needs; and the human development approach focus on capabilities and entitlements.  It adds to these a distinctive focus on culture and meaning; on the centrality of personal and social relationships; and on people’s own perceptions and experience of life and how this relates to objective measures of wellbeing. 

WeD research began with a major multi-country interdisciplinary study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, 2002-7 to develop a conceptual and methodological approach to wellbeing.  It continues with UK Department of International Development funded research on Wellbeing and Religion in Bangladesh and India, 2005-10.  

 

 

 
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