Wellbeing, the arts and our economy
An article by Linda Gilbert, senior consultant at QWB Lab.
At QWB Lab we do not believe the value of arts should be defined by gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is a flawed metric focussed on productivity. The value of any economy should not be measured solely on productivity. The economy is the foundation for our society so it should be designed in a way that is inclusive and benefits everyone.
The basic argument for focussing solely on productivity is the assumption that increased productivity leads to higher wages, and in turn that leads to greater consumption and increased employment. Over time, this cycle is said to lead to improved living standards, but this model is outdated as it generates and ignores many negative impacts. These include damage to the environment, insecure employment and damage to human health and wellbeing. GDP emphasises the importance of production and consumption over human and environmental impact and wellbeing.
At QWB Lab we are interested in the production of wellbeing.
The mission of QWB Lab is to unlock the wellbeing value of arts and culture. We do this by measuring the contribution of cultural institutions and the arts to wellbeing on a personal, social, natural and economic level.
Over 70 percent of OECD countries have adopted national frameworks, development plans or metrics with a wellbeing focus. Measuring gross domestic product and widgets produced is no longer the only metric to quantify the wealth of a nation but a wider range of measures and indicators provide a holistic understanding about the notion of wellbeing of the country and its population.
This brings to mind musician Billy Braggs’ lyrics from his 2017 mini-album ‘Bridges not Walls’: “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts.”
Until recently, measuring these non-tangible qualitative indicators has been the holy grail in the arts. Those of us within the arts know the value and recognise how our lives and society is improved by the arts. Yet it can be difficult to articulate these benefits to funders and wider society. In times of austerity it is the arts that get the chop. This, in our view, is false economy.
In 2019 the New Zealand Treasury developed the first Wellbeing Budget and reports on wellbeing every six months via its Living Standards Framework Dashboard which aligns with the OECD guidelines.
Specifically considering arts and culture, QWB Lab has developed a platform to measure the value that the arts and culture provide for individuals, cultural organisations and at a macro level, society as a whole. We go beyond the usual ‘numbers through the door’ metrics, to help arts and cultural organisations uncover the value of the experiences that museums, art galleries, libraries and other cultural and social community hubs provide.
We work with you to unlock these often under-valued, under-counted impacts that arts and culture contribute to individuals, society and the nation.
The 12 dimensions we use in our wellbeing framework, aligned to the OECD model, are:
Subjective wellbeing
Social Connections
Health
Housing
Safety & Security
Environment and Sustainability
Work-life balance
Income and Consumption
Work and Volunteering
Civic Contribution
Cultural Capability and Belonging
Knowledge and Skills
See our blog posts for examples and case studies for these dimensions.
Wellbeing, the arts and our economy
An article by Linda Gilbert, senior consultant at QWB Lab.
At QWB Lab we do not believe the value of arts should be defined by gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is a flawed metric focussed on productivity. The value of any economy should not be measured solely on productivity. The economy is the foundation for our society so it should be designed in a way that is inclusive and benefits everyone.
The basic argument for focussing solely on productivity is the assumption that increased productivity leads to higher wages, and in turn that leads to greater consumption and increased employment. Over time, this cycle is said to lead to improved living standards, but this model is outdated as it generates and ignores many negative impacts. These include damage to the environment, insecure employment and damage to human health and wellbeing. GDP emphasises the importance of production and consumption over human and environmental impact and wellbeing.
At QWB Lab we are interested in the production of wellbeing.
The mission of QWB Lab is to unlock the wellbeing value of arts and culture. We do this by measuring the contribution of cultural institutions and the arts to wellbeing on a personal, social, natural and economic level.
Over 70 percent of OECD countries have adopted national frameworks, development plans or metrics with a wellbeing focus. Measuring gross domestic product and widgets produced is no longer the only metric to quantify the wealth of a nation but a wider range of measures and indicators provide a holistic understanding about the notion of wellbeing of the country and its population.
This brings to mind musician Billy Braggs’ lyrics from his 2017 mini-album ‘Bridges not Walls’: “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts.”
Until recently, measuring these non-tangible qualitative indicators has been the holy grail in the arts. Those of us within the arts know the value and recognise how our lives and society is improved by the arts. Yet it can be difficult to articulate these benefits to funders and wider society. In times of austerity it is the arts that get the chop. This, in our view, is false economy.
In 2019 the New Zealand Treasury developed the first Wellbeing Budget and reports on wellbeing every six months via its Living Standards Framework Dashboard which aligns with the OECD guidelines.
Specifically considering arts and culture, QWB Lab has developed a platform to measure the value that the arts and culture provide for individuals, cultural organisations and at a macro level, society as a whole. We go beyond the usual ‘numbers through the door’ metrics, to help arts and cultural organisations uncover the value of the experiences that museums, art galleries, libraries and other cultural and social community hubs provide.
We work with you to unlock these often under-valued, under-counted impacts that arts and culture contribute to individuals, society and the nation.
The 12 dimensions we use in our wellbeing framework, aligned to the OECD model, are:
Subjective wellbeing
Social Connections
Health
Housing
Safety & Security
Environment and Sustainability
Work-life balance
Income and Consumption
Work and Volunteering
Civic Contribution
Cultural Capability and Belonging
Knowledge and Skills
See our blog posts for examples and case studies for these dimensions.
Wellbeing, the arts and our economy
An article by Linda Gilbert, senior consultant at QWB Lab.
At QWB Lab we do not believe the value of arts should be defined by gross domestic product (GDP). GDP is a flawed metric focussed on productivity. The value of any economy should not be measured solely on productivity. The economy is the foundation for our society so it should be designed in a way that is inclusive and benefits everyone.
The basic argument for focussing solely on productivity is the assumption that increased productivity leads to higher wages, and in turn that leads to greater consumption and increased employment. Over time, this cycle is said to lead to improved living standards, but this model is outdated as it generates and ignores many negative impacts. These include damage to the environment, insecure employment and damage to human health and wellbeing. GDP emphasises the importance of production and consumption over human and environmental impact and wellbeing.
At QWB Lab we are interested in the production of wellbeing.
The mission of QWB Lab is to unlock the wellbeing value of arts and culture. We do this by measuring the contribution of cultural institutions and the arts to wellbeing on a personal, social, natural and economic level.
Over 70 percent of OECD countries have adopted national frameworks, development plans or metrics with a wellbeing focus. Measuring gross domestic product and widgets produced is no longer the only metric to quantify the wealth of a nation but a wider range of measures and indicators provide a holistic understanding about the notion of wellbeing of the country and its population.
This brings to mind musician Billy Braggs’ lyrics from his 2017 mini-album ‘Bridges not Walls’: “Not everything that counts can be counted. Not everything that can be counted counts.”
Until recently, measuring these non-tangible qualitative indicators has been the holy grail in the arts. Those of us within the arts know the value and recognise how our lives and society is improved by the arts. Yet it can be difficult to articulate these benefits to funders and wider society. In times of austerity it is the arts that get the chop. This, in our view, is false economy.
In 2019 the New Zealand Treasury developed the first Wellbeing Budget and reports on wellbeing every six months via its Living Standards Framework Dashboard which aligns with the OECD guidelines.
Specifically considering arts and culture, QWB Lab has developed a platform to measure the value that the arts and culture provide for individuals, cultural organisations and at a macro level, society as a whole. We go beyond the usual ‘numbers through the door’ metrics, to help arts and cultural organisations uncover the value of the experiences that museums, art galleries, libraries and other cultural and social community hubs provide.
We work with you to unlock these often under-valued, under-counted impacts that arts and culture contribute to individuals, society and the nation.
The 12 dimensions we use in our wellbeing framework, aligned to the OECD model, are:
Subjective wellbeing
Social Connections
Health
Housing
Safety & Security
Environment and Sustainability
Work-life balance
Income and Consumption
Work and Volunteering
Civic Contribution
Cultural Capability and Belonging
Knowledge and Skills
See our blog posts for examples and case studies for these dimensions.
