Government welcomes the publication of NESC’s Report 163 ‘Inequality and Well-being Frameworks’

The government welcomes the publication of NESC’s Report 163 ‘Inequality and Well-being Frameworks’.

Well-being frameworks (WBFs) have been developed by many countries, including Ireland, since the financial crash. They incorporate a multi-dimensional range of national goals, going beyond the economic metrics usually focused on by policymakers. These frameworks aim to redesign policy using a more multi-dimensional perspective, to realign policy practice across government silos, and to prompt policymakers to refocus on the outcomes that matter the most to people.

This NESC report proposes that Ireland’s new well-being framework can help to identify and target inequalities. The framework collects data on a wide range of well-being issues, including issues particularly relevant to inequality. The framework also disaggregates data by group (for example: gender, age, socio-economic class). This will help more clearly identify a range of inequalities which can be used by Government in policies and programmes.

The report notes that there are some data gaps which require new actions and resources to be satisfactorily remedied. These gaps include data on environmental justice and data breakdowns by ethnicity, disability, and sexual orientation.

Ireland’s well-being framework is also developing new ways of working which may contribute to integrating a range of policy work at different levels of government and enhancing dialogue in policy making.

NESC recognise the potential need for additional resources to be allocated to promote implementation of the Irish WBF and improve its ability to combat inequalities. Ireland can use formal policy mechanisms developed by other countries with more experience in implementing WBFs as a model to inform how we allocate resources to advance our own well-being framework.

These mechanisms include: incorporating, working towards, and monitoring specific well-being and equality targets; as well as consideration of the right balance between legally binding and ‘softer’ approaches to have the most lasting positive impact on well-being and inequality.

The 2020 Programme for Government committed to developing a set of well-being indices for Ireland, to create a well-rounded, holistic view of how Irish society is faring; and to utilise these indices in a systematic way across government policymaking at local and national levels, in setting budgetary priorities, evaluating programmes and reporting progress. Since then, the government has developed and adopted a well-being framework (WBF) for Ireland, with 11 dimensions of well-being, and an accompanying dashboard of 35 indicators to measure progress on these dimensions.

This report has examined how well-being frameworks identify and target inequalities in other countries, and drawn learning for Ireland from this.

The research was undertaken by the National Economic and Social Council, an independent Council comprising employers, trade unions, farmers, community and voluntary sector representatives, environmentalists, senior officials from government departments, plus independents. The Council was set up to analyse and report on strategic issues relating to the efficient development of the economy, the achievement of social justice and environmental sustainability.

For further information, go to the National Economic and Social Council's website.