Why Wellbeing in Developing Countries?

Considering wellbeing in developing countries is important because such countries – and especially poorer people within them - are particularly subject to being characterized negatively and in outsiders’ terms. Focusing on developing countries also brings to discussions of wellbeing greater awareness of the importance of:

• Context
• Politics

Understandings of wellbeing and opportunities for achieving it differ by historical, geographical and cultural context as well as by social position, such as gender, age, ethnicity, caste or class. What wellbeing means locally therefore needs to be explored, and should not be assumed.

Politics underlie how wellbeing is understood, who is seen to be entitled to it, and how it is pursued. This means that local understandings of wellbeing cannot simply be taken at face value. In addition, calls to re-frame policy in terms of wellbeing may reflect very different political agendas.