In this first Report on “Equitable and Sustainable Well-being” (Benessere Equo e Sostenibile – Bes) the National Council for Economics and Labour (Cnel) and the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat) present the results of an inter-institutional initiative which places Italy in the forefront of the international panorama for the development of well-being indicators going “beyond GDP”.
In recent years, the debate on how to measure the well-being of individuals and societies has been of primary interest to global public opinion. The crises of the last few years (food, energy and environmental, financial, economic and social) have made clear the urgent need to develop new statistical measures capable of guiding decision-makers in policy making, as well as firms’ and citizens’ individual behaviours.
While gross domestic product (GDP) remains undeniably important as a way to measure national economic results, it is essential to complement it with economic, environmental and social indicators able to provide a comprehensive assessment of society’s conditions and progress.
