WFC AGM, Abu Dhabi BRAINPOoL progress and work programme 2013

1. WFC AGM, Abu DhabiBRAINPOoL progress and work programme 2013

2. Overall Goal Continue engagement in the Beyond-GDP movement to assist the process of developing a new kind of economy: one that is more equitable, more sustainable and more effectively delivers human well-being

3. Measuring what matters • Set out the range and diversity of ‘Beyond GDP’ indicators to get a better understanding of what is already out there and what lessons can be learnt given their relative success or failure. • Investigate the barriers to effective use of these indicators and what can be done to overcome these barriers. • Engage directly with a selection of relevant actors in order to promote the institutionalisation of alternative indicator use.

4. Fulfilling work programme 2012: success indicators Productive collaboration with Consortium partners Regular work planning meetings (Luxembourg, London, Toulouse and Prague) Active Advisory Board (joint meeting in Prague with extensive feedback on the work we’ve already produced)

5. Website: www.brainpoolproject.eu • Creation of logo, website and project identity etc. • Starting the process of adding new content as we get our first results

6. WP1 Report: making sense of the ‘supply’ An increasingly broad variety of indicators reflecting trends in the state of the social and physical environment but the diversity of these indicators makes it difficult for their relevance to be appreciated. The WP1 report goes into detail on 17 beyond-GDP indicators selected to broadly represent the field and analyses them for media relevance, objectives and impacts It also looks at the ways indicators can be usefully classified Indicator domains – environmental, social, economic Indicator approaches – subjective, objective Link to GDP – adjusting GDP, “replacing” GDP, supplementing GDP Success factors: the need to measure something that policy makers believe they can influence, the requirement of quality data, the need for neutrality, the importance of buy-in from the audience they are targeted at, and the benefits o of producing a simple and attractive message that relates a meaningful concept.

7. Impacts: Policy changes, ‘real-world’ benefits These include (i) the implementation of schemes to improve habitat for farmland birds after changes to the UK Defra Sustainable Development Indicator set (ii) the investment of $15 billion by the UAE government to develop alternative energy sources spurred on by a poor ranking in the Ecological Footprint. The Council of Europe SPIRAL project which aims to promote social cohesion achieved changes to the delivery of food relief in France and the transformation of the approach to homelessness in Belgium. The Jacksonville Community Council Indicators has been instrumental in reducing infant mortality rates, recidivism and water pollution in the area.

8. Current and upcoming work (2013): Understanding the ‘demand’ (WP2) Part of this task is thoroughly mapping the AI context in each country by producing an overview of all the major Beyond GDP ‘happenings’ (initiatives, events, research papers etc.) and the interactions between these happenings, in our case in Germany. The aim here is to understand how the institutional/societal settings have influenced the use of Beyond GDP indicators. A comparative analysis will then be done of 6 European countries to see if general lessons can be learned on the key drivers.

10. Upcoming work (2013): ‘overcoming barriers’ (WP3) Work with those in government that are already using Beyond GDP indicators to help them identify and overcome barriers to their effective use in the policy world (methodological / psychological / institutional). WFC case study is the National Welfare Index (NWI) that the German Environment Ministry has championed but which has faced methodological criticisms and struggled to gain widespread political traction (e.g. not championed by the German Parliaments EC on ‘Growth, Wellbeing and QOL’) Attempted to cover case studies at all relevant governance levels: local, national, supra-national (NWI, OECD, DG Environment, UK ONS, Welsh government, City of Rotterdam, group of 12 Czech Cities) Developing tailored programmes for each case involving literature review, interviews with key personnel, as well as external supporters/detractors, workshops and final report.