What matters to people throughout the world and why should we care? Participatory wellbeing frameworks, applications, and impact

Abstract

The use of wellbeing measures has been growing in prominence over the last two decades, with researchers, practitioners, and policymakers seeking to analyse and more closely capture the things that matter to people. Alongside this has been slow, but increasing, recognition that wellbeing is often conceptualised uniquely by different population groups throughout the world. This has resulted in a growing number of governments, organisations, practitioners, and academics developing "participatory wellbeing frameworks", created by working closely with the population of interest and asking the question, "What does wellbeing mean for you?" While key motivations for undertaking such studies include identifying culturally specific conceptualisations of wellbeing, developing further applications and influencing and shaping programs and policy, there has been little empirical research on the extent to which wellbeing conceptualisations vary by population group, how they have been applied, and the extent to which they have impacted research, programs, and policy.

This thesis seeks to fill this gap, using multiple methods to scrutinise the participatory wellbeing frameworks that have been developed throughout the world over the past two decades. Firstly, through a systematic review of 130 participatory wellbeing frameworks, I show that while there is a high degree of universality in how wellbeing is conceptualised, communities and population groups throughout the world have unique and nuanced ways of understanding wellbeing. Secondly, by examining how these 130 different frameworks have been utilised, I will illustrate that while participatory wellbeing frameworks have been applied more extensively for research purposes, there has been less of a focus on policy-related applications. I will further highlight the value and challenges of applying participatory wellbeing frameworks for quantitative analysis through two case studies, one focused on child wellbeing in Australia and the other examining the migrant wellbeing gap in Papua, Indonesia. Finally, through a key informant study with 16 individuals who have developed participatory wellbeing frameworks, the thesis highlights that while relatively few frameworks have directly impacted programs, practice, or policy, achieving indirect impacts, such as greater awareness amongst policymakers and starting a dialogue in the community, was commonplace. Ensuring a rigorous participatory process was identified as an important enabler in achieving both direct and indirect impacts.

In sum, this thesis highlights the value of utilising participatory approaches in achieving a context-specific, holistic understanding of wellbeing that comes from the voices of those who are the experts in their own lives. It is hoped that this thesis will demonstrate to the research and policy community the value of utilising participatory approaches for wellbeing measurement, will provide an evidence-based set of approaches for doing this, and will support the community in achieving greater research and policy impact into the future.