Well-Being Studies in the OECD and Japan's Contribution

Abstract

Measuring the social progress or well-being of society has long been the objective of many international organizations, national and local governments, and NPO's. In 2008, the OECD launched the Global Project on Measuring Progress of Societies, while the Japanese government has been studying social indicators since around 1970. Based on the “New Growth Strategy” decided by the Japanese Cabinet in 2010, the Cabinet Office's Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) strengthened well-being studies in cooperation with the OECD. The ESRI organized the Asia-Pacific Conference on Measuring Well-Being and Fostering the Progress of Societies in cooperation with the OECD (co-host) in 2011. The ESRI also contributed to the OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-Being and the OECD Expert Group to Measure Disparities in a National Accounts Framework. As a product of the Global Project, as well as part of the OECD's 50th Anniversary Forum and Ministerial Council Meeting celebrations, the OECD launched the Your Better Life Index in 2011. The ESRI conducted the Quality of Life Survey to collect data on subjective well-being in 2012, 2013, and 2014. There are still many different types of well-being indicators developed by various international institutes, and studies in this field should continue to accumulate research findings.