Wellbeing and Quality of Life Assessment: A practical guide

by Sarah C White (Editor), Asha Abeyasekera (With)

Overview

Human development may encompass social, cultural and spiritual facets as well as economic improvement, and development organizations are beginning to recognize this fact. But building into programming a wider understanding of development throws up a number of questions: how do our organizations define wellbeing and quality of life? What do target communities in the global north or south mean by a quality of life? How can we measure change in wellbeing, and attribute it to our programming? Wellbeing and Quality of Life Assessment is a practical resource for people working in social or development policy and practice who are thinking about integrating wellbeing or quality of life in their work in both the global North and South.The main body of the book presents different tools that have been developed and used in social and development policy and practice and outlines the inspiration behind their approach, how it works, what has been learnt through it, and issues and dilemmas that remain.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781853398414
Publisher:	Practical Action Publishing
Publication date:	10/15/2014
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x (d)

About the Author

Sarah C. White is a senior lecturer at the University of Bath. She has more than ten years’
experience researching wellbeing in developing countries.

Robert Chambers is Research Associate and Emeritus Professor, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex and the author of Participatory Workshops (2002) and Ideas for Development (2005).

Asha Abeyasekera is a lecturer at the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo, Sri Lanka. She has worked for more than ten years as a practitioner in the development sector.

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Key concepts and debates
2. Choices in putting wellbeing or quality of life to work
3. Inner wellbeing: the Wellbeing Pathways approach
4. PADHI - Psychosocial Assessment of Development and Humanitarian Interventions
5. Oxfam’s Humankind Index
6. Cafod’s Quality of Life Batteries approach
7. Assessing Wellbeing and Human Flourishing
8. Trocaire’s Wellbeing Wheel
9. Wellbeing Wales’ Sustainable Wellbeing Approach
10. The politics of working on wellbeing – energy policy in the EU
11. Conclusion: Towards an articulated process: Wellbeing, Social Justice and Sustainability

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

'For a better, more progressive approach to development we need better, more progressive indicators. This book provides a welcome and accessible set of ideas and advice on how to go about ensuring participation in developing new metrics for development.' Duncan Green, Senior Strategic Adviser, Oxfam GB ‘This book clearly outlines key issues about community wellbeing and quality of life, linking them to concrete initiatives that open up many possibilities for practitioners both for consideration and adaptation. It will be an invaluable resource book for all those who want to deepen their understanding of the dynamic connections between community wellbeing, democratic participation, and community action.’ Diane Gillespie, Emeritus Professor, Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Universityof Washington Bothell ‘Wellbeing and Quality of Life Assessment provides compelling practical guidance on how people-centred development can promote wellbeing and an analysis of why it should. Development practitioners, policy-makers, scholars, and others interested in international development in practice should read this.’ Ben Cislaghi, Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation, Tostan International.

Editorial Reviews

This book clearly outlines key issues about community wellbeing and quality of life, linking them to concrete initiatives that open up many possibilities for practitioners.

Diane Gillespie

This book provides welcome and accessible advice on how to go about ensuring participation in developing new metrics for development.

Duncan Green