No abstract
This paper presents the framework used by the OECD for defining and measuring well-being, developed as part of the OECD Better Life Initiative launched in 2011. This framework measures well-being by considering 11 dimensions covering both current material conditions and quality of life, while also recognizing the importance of taking account the sustainability of well-being in the future. This framework has been populated with indicators for each dimension, whose selection has relied on international standards on measurement and was made in consultation with experts and National Statistical Offices of OECD countries. The paper also discusses the pros and cons of various approaches for presenting and disseminating information on multidimensional well-being to different audiencesincluding the OECD Better Life Index, an interactive web tool. The paper concludes by illustrating the progress made in developing measures of well-being and outlines the statistical agenda ahead to improve existing indicators and develop new ones.JEL Codes: A13, D63, I31, Q01
Should subjective wellbeing, as measured by life evaluation, be the sole criterion for policies? This article answers this question negatively based on three arguments. First, it is important to distinguish between people's life evaluations, their emotional experiences and their sense of purpose; each has different drivers and consequences, implying that no single measure can adequately subsume the others. Second, while subjective wellbeing provides information missed by more conventional measures, the reverse is also true. This implies that information on the intrinsic importance of other key wellbeing dimensions cannot be derived from just looking at their instrumental value in raising subjective wellbeing. Third, the ‘utilitarian calculus’ implicit in subjective wellbeing regressions shines little light on normative decisions such as the attention we should focus on the worst off or on future generations. In contrast to the ‘automatic pilot’ approach to policies advocated by Frijters et al., this article favours an approach based on dashboards of indicators used to inform all of the stages of the policy cycles, as recently implemented by several OECD countries.
One year ago most economic observers predicted that "fundamentals" were such that the euro was set to appreciate. In the event, the opposite has occurred. This has rekindled a debate on how well foreign exchange markets reflect fundamental determinants and led to calls for greater exchange rate stability, possibly through the introduction of formal exchange rate target zones. The first part of the paper focuses on these issues. It also looks at the euro’s prospects as an international currency. To give a better sense of perspective, the paper compares recent exchange rate movements and measures of volatility with longerterm trends. The article argues that the difference in cyclical conditions in the United States and the euro area seems to have been a dominant factor driving the sizeable euro depreciation since early 1999, although when evaluated against longer term trends it appears much less dramatic; the euro is presently at about its past 5-year average level expressed in nominal effective terms ... Il y a un an, la plupart des observateurs économiques prévoyaient qu'au vu des "fondamentaux" l'euro allait s'apprécier. En l’occurrence le contraire a eu lieu. Ceci a ravivé le débat sur la capacité des marchés de changes à refléter les déterminants fondamentaux des économies et a donné lieu à des appels pour une plus grande stabilité des taux de change, passant par exemple par l'introduction formelle de zones cibles. La première partie de ce document porte sur ces questions. Elle considère également les perspectives pour l'euro à devenir une monnaie internationale. Afin de mieux appréhender les évolutions récentes de taux de change et leur volatilité, ces dernières sont comparées à leurs tendances de long terme. Le document montre que la divergence de position conjoncturelle entre les États-Unis et la zone euro semble avoir été un facteur déterminant dans la dépréciation importante de l'euro depuis le début de 1999, même si, sur plus longue période, cette dépréciation apparaît ...EMU, exchange rate regimes, exchange rates, policy mix, UME, taux de change, régime de taux de change, dosage de la politique économique
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.