A think-tank paper said the south-east region would not be able to continue to offer its citizens a high quality of life without policies that promoted resource efficiency and less waste and pollution.
Source: Julie Foley, The Problems of Success: Reconciling economic growth and quality of life in the south east, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2004-Nov
A think-tank book examined all aspects of the welfare state, from schools and hospitals to pensions and child benefit, and asked whether it had been a mistake to place so much confidence in government-provided welfare.
Source: James Bartholomew, The Welfare State We're In: The failure of the welfare state, Institute of Economic Affairs (020 7799 8900)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs said that 'sustainable development' was an 'inherently ambiguous and complex' concept. The refusal by the government to accept an internationally recognized definition of sustainable development suggested that it placed insufficient weight on the environmental dimension of sustainable development, and inclined more towards an economic interpretation. The language of sustainable development would become debased if the government continued to use it indiscriminately in formulations such as 'sustainable transport', 'sustainable communities', and 'sustainable growth'.
Source: The Sustainable Development Strategy: Illusion or reality?, Thirteenth Report (Session 2003-04), HC 624, House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report
Date: 2004-Nov
A report examined the importance of self-esteem in working life. 87 per cent of those surveyed thought that their jobs were either quite or very important to their notions of self-esteem. Among the factors that would make people perform better in their work, 1 in 5 said more money, and 1 in 3 wanted more training; around 1 in 5 thought that having high confidence levels was the most important factor.
Source: Andy Westwood, Me, Myself and Work: Self-esteem and the UK labour market, Work Foundation (0870 165 6700)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Oct
A report said that counselling and psychotherapy had gained mass acceptance, and had become a practical reality for a significant minority, with 21 per cent of the population having personal experience of therapy.
Source: The Age of Therapy: Exploring attitudes towards and acceptance of counselling and psychotherapy in modern Britain, Future Foundation (020 7250 3343)
Links: Report (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Oct
A report challenged the assumption that promoting economic growth was the government s most important function. It put forward a wide-ranging alternative manifesto calling on the government to help people to be happier and more fulfilled not richer and more depressed.
Source: Nic Marks and Hetan Shah, A Well-being Manifesto for a Flourishing Society, New Economics Foundation (020 7820 6300)
Links: Report (pdf) | NEF press release
Date: 2004-Sep
A new book examined social welfare in Scotland since devolution. In particular, it focused on the politics of welfare during and after the devolution process; poverty and inequality; and the two single most important powers devolved to the Edinburgh Parliament, education and health. It looked at why social welfare issues were central to the devolution process in Scotland; and it explored the particular social and financial circumstances in which Scottish policy makers operated.
Source: John Stewart, Taking Stock: Scottish social welfare after devolution, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Aug
A think-tank report examined people's sense of well-being and the role work played in it. It said that there was a three-tier labour market: two-thirds of workers were satisfied or very satisfied with their work or job; 15 per cent were dissatisfied or very dissatisfied; those worst-off were the unemployed and economically inactive, with life satisfaction just over half that of those in work or caring for others.
Source: Nick Isles, Joy of Work?, Work Foundation (0870 165 6700)
Links: Report (pdf) | Work Foundation press release
Date: 2004-Jul
An interim report (commissioned by the government) proposed eight principles for modernising the national accounts, including the measurement of government output and productivity. It said that public services output should be measured by the incremental contribution to individual or collective welfare.
Source: Atkinson Review: Interim report - Measurement of government output and productivity for the national accounts, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report (pdf) | Atkinson press release (pdf) | ONS press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
The Labour Party published a consultative policy document on social welfare issues, including the environment, public health, and sport and recreation.
Source: Enhancing the Quality of Life, Labour Party (08705 900200)
Links: Consultation document (pdf)
Date: 2004-Jul
A think-tank report called for a fundamental re-appraisal of self-esteem. It argued that modern life made self-esteem both more necessary for individuals to have and more difficult to get and keep. Government should tackle the social structures which undermined self-esteem; promote social participation which built self-esteem; and recognise self-esteem as a pre-requisite for democracy.
Source: Helen McCarthy, The Self-Esteem Society, Demos, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jul
A new book considered how money could be used to achieve positive social change - by government, companies, voluntary organisations, and individuals. It asked whether we wasted money on good intentions that did not match real need; and how individuals, foundations and others with social concerns could ensure that all their assets were used effectively.
Source: David Darton (ed.), The Right Use of Money, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2004-Jul
An article said that although richer individuals and those with steady partners tended to be happier than others, the happiness they reported did not necessarily come from their incomes and relationships. Rather, happy people tended to become richer and were more likely to find steady partners.
Source: Ada Ferrer-i-Carbonell and Paul Frijters, How important is methodology for the estimates of the determinants of happiness? , Economic Journal, July 2004, Royal Economic Society (0117 983 9770)
Links: RES press release
Date: 2004-Jul
An annual survey found that all regions were making progress on economic output, tackling poverty and social exclusion, vehicle crime, river water quality and increasing waste recycling. There was less even progress on improving employment opportunities, raising educational attainment, reducing crime, increasing bird populations, and re-using previously developed land for housing.
Source: Regional Quality of Life Counts: 2003, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (08459 556000)
Links: Report (pdf) | Defra statistical press release | DEFRA press release
Date: 2004-Jun
A report assessed the relative importance of demographic, socio-economic, social and environmental factors for overall health and well-being in Northern Ireland, based on new analyses of the 1997 and 2001 Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Surveys.
Source: Robert Miller, Paula Devine and Dirk Schubotz, Secondary Analysis of the 1997 and 2001 Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Surveys, Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety/Northern Ireland Executive (028 9052 0500)
Links: Report (pdf) | NIE press release
Date: 2004-May
The government began consultation on a new strategy for sustainable development for the United Kingdom as a whole, including action needed to tackle unsustainable consumption patterns.
Source: Taking It On: Developing UK sustainable development strategy together, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (08459 556000), Scottish Executive, Welsh Assembly Government and Northern Ireland Administration
Links: Consultation document (pdf) | DEFRA press release
Date: 2004-Apr
A report by an official advisory body reviewed the government s progress over the previous five years towards the creation of a sustainable society. It welcomed efforts to protect the environment, reduce unemployment, alleviate poverty, increase life expectancy and improve education: but it appealed for fundamental policy shifts to improve overall quality of life and tackle issues like inequality, climate change, traffic, waste and obesity. A background report from consultants was also published.
Source: Shows Promise: But Must Try Harder, Sustainable Development Commission (020 7944 4964) | Levett-Therivel, Assessment of Progress Against the Headline Indicators, Sustainable Development Commission
Links: Report (pdf) | Consultants report (pdf) | SDC press release (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Apr
The government published its fourth report of progress on the 15 headline indicators of sustainable development - the 'quality of life' barometer. It said that these showed overall progress across the three pillars of sustainable development - the economy, society and the environment - though there were still areas where progress could be better. It provided an overview of the main strategic developments in 2003, and the actions being carried out to further sustainable development since the launch of the 1999 strategy. The government also published an updated version of the indicators. Campaigners said that, far from making progress, the government was failing to tackle key environmental threats such as the growth in air and road traffic and the production of waste.
Source: Achieving a Better Quality of Life: Review of progress towards sustainable development - Government annual report 2003, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (08459 556000) | Quality of Life Counts - Update 2004, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Press release 16 March 2004, Friends of the Earth (020 7490 1555)
Links: Annual report (pdf) | Annual report | Revised indicators | DEFRA press release | FOE press release
Date: 2004-Mar
A report identified the obstacles and barriers to delivering sustainable development at the local level. The authors suggested that a new public service ethos that embraced lasting changes was needed in order to inspire greater government commitment at all levels.
Source: Fay Blair and Bob Evans, Seeing the Bigger Picture: Delivering local sustainable development, York Publishing Services for Joseph Rowntree Foundation, available from York Publishing Services Ltd (01904 430033)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Mar
A think-tank paper challenged the 'myth' of economic progress as the standard for measuring social welfare.
Source: Tim Jackson, Chasing Progress: Beyond measuring economic growth, New Economics Foundation, available from Central Books (020 8986 5488)
Links: Report (pdf)
Date: 2004-Feb
The Environment Agency published new research showing that poorer communities bore the burden of environmental problems as diverse as air pollution, factory emissions and flooding risk. It identified the need for a 'joined-up approach' to addressing environmental inequalities alongside social and economic problems in deprived areas.
Source: Gordon Walker, John Fairburn, Graham Smith and Gordon Mitchell, Environmental Quality and Social Deprivation, Environment Agency (01793 865000)
Links: Report Part 1 (pdf) | Report Part 2 (pdf) | Guardian report
Date: 2004-Jan