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Well being and sustainability

The measurement of well-being

The project to measure equitable and sustainable well-being aims at evaluating the progress of society not only from an economic, but also from a social and environmental point of view.

Istat, together with representatives of the third sector and civil society, has developed a multidimensional approach to measure “equitable and sustainable well-being” (Bes), in order to complement the indicators related to production and economic activity with measures of the key dimensions of well-being, together with measures of inequality and sustainability. 12 domains were identified to describe well-being in Italy.

The detailed analysis of indicators published annually in the Bes Report as from 2013 aims at raising awareness of the Country’s strengths and difficulties. To improve the quality of life of citizens the concept of well-being should be considered as starting point for public policies and individual choices.

In 2016, the “Equitable and sustainable well-being” has become part of the economic planning: the Economic and Financial Document (Def) has to include an analysis of recent trends for selected indicators and an impact assessment of proposed policies. Every year in February, moreover, a monitoring report is to be presented to the Parliament.