The Evolution of the Italian Framework to Measure Well-Being

Abstract

Recently, a new approach for measuring well-being was developed by eighteen European countries in the wake of the “Beyond GDP movement” started in the 1990 and continued by the Stiglitz Commission. Among these European economies, eleven of them use measures of well-being for monitoring public policy. The Italian Statistical Institute (Istat) jointly with the National Council for Economics and Labor (CNEL) developed a multi-dimensional framework for measuring “equitable and sustainable well-being” (Bes) and since 2013 Istat publishes an annual report on well-being. The Bes framework is continuously updated to take into account new challenges: the exploitation of new data sources, to produce better indicators; new ways for making the communication more effective and foster public awareness; the inclusion of well-being indicators in the budget documents, as established by law. Especially for the latter, the Italian Bes can be considered a forerunner and, more generally, the Italian experience is one of the most relevant at the European level, showing potential of become a benchmark for other countries. This article illustrates the development of the Italian Bes, focusing on its recent progresses and challenges.