MERGE

📢Report on stakeholders’ views on beyond GDP published! ‘Beyond GDP’ advocates the use of complementary indicators to GDP to counter the current dominance of GDP growth as a system-defining objective. Understanding stakeholders’ perspectives is crucial for advancing the uptake of this increasingly popular approach.⚖️ 🔎For this purpose, between June and October 2024 MERGE conducted a survey and interviews to explore stakeholders’ views on GDP’s role in policymaking, the use of metrics, datasets and models, awareness of Beyond GDP concepts, and the barriers and drivers of moving beyond GDP. The survey gathered insights from 132 participants representing researchers, policymakers, NGO actors and others, incl. media and business. Interviews with eight EU level policymakers deepened the understanding of policymakers’ views on the survey topics.💡 The findings are now publicly available in our new deliverable “Survey report on the perceptions on beyond GDP approach”. Here are some central insights from the report: ✅ Terms "postgrowth”, “beyond growth”, "doughnut economy" and "ecological economy” are more often used by researchers than policymakers, while policymakers are slightly more likely to use the concepts of "green growth" and "net zero economy/growth". 💭 The views of the general public are a key driver for pushing change towards beyond GDP. ⛏️ The barriers related to structural factors in governance and policymaking are considered as the most difficult to overcome. These include path dependencies in governance systems, short-termism and prioritization of urgent issues in policymaking, and an unfavourable political context.  🗂️ The most common reasons to use GDP are connected to its current status and widespread use. Comparability and public familiarity with the concept are also common reasons.  🧮 The biggest flaws of existing beyond GDP metrics and models include the difficulty of interpreting multidimensional indicators, the lack of timely enough data and the limitations of cross-country comparisons. 📍 For policymakers the biggest flaw of beyond GDP indexes and models is that they do not have a legitimate status within their organisation, while for other actors this is not as important a shortcoming. 🌳 The implementation of the European Green Deal is seen by the majority of respondents as an important opportunity to integrate a Beyond GDP approach into policy design, assessment and evaluation. Strategic foresight, the European Semester and Social Europe are also seen as key opportunities. Find our full report below. Tuuli Hirvilammi, Tampere University Alisa Rannikko, Tampere University Oskari Hakala, Tampere University Irene Fattacciu, ARCO - Action Research for Co-Development Andrea Ferrannini , ARCO - Action Research for Co-Development Laura Rayner, European Policy Centre Tommaso G., European Policy Centre Danielle Brady, European Policy Centre Dr. Christoph Gran, ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies

It was a pleasure to be with MERGE at the OECD - OCDE Forum on #Wellbeing in Rome. As someone deeply involved in this field, it was inspiring to see thought leaders, (some) policymakers, and researchers coming together to build a collective vision for the #future. This year’s forum reinforced the importance of Horizon Europe projects like MERGE, which unite efforts across organisations and countries to advance #WellbeingIndicators that place people and planet at the core of development.  MERGE plays a pivotal role by uniting Horizon Europe projects like WISE Horizons, SPES Sustainability Performances, Evidence & Scenarios, ToBe Research, WISER, and ERC-funded REAL, bridging research and policy to enable informed, data-driven decisions. 🌍 In the session organised by #MERGE, "Beyond GDP to Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing,“, participants explored the challenges and opportunities of bringing sustainable, inclusive wellbeing indicators into policymaking. The forum and this session allowed for valuable cross-sectoral exchange, amplifying impactful, actionable ideas. Together with ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies, Tampere University, Demos Helsinki, the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), and other partners in the MERGE consortium, I’m optimistic about our potential to advance inclusive and sustainable wellbeing agendas. The #OECDForum reinforced our commitment to break down silos and implement a strong, shared vision for wellbeing. It’s a privilege to be part of this journey and to be actively working to put wellbeing for people and planet at the heart of our institutions. #SustainableWellbeing #InclusiveDevelopment #HorizonEurope #BeyondGDP 💡 Interested in more content? 👉 https://lnkd.in/dMeyApbA Thanks again for joining our panel: Ana Boskovic, Alina Şandor, Carrie Exton, Enrico Giovannini, Richard Heys and Robert Morgan. Romina Boarini, Francesca Grum, Rutger Hoekstra, Katherine Trebeck, Kate Raworth, Sandrine Dixson-Declève, Elva Bova, Peter Benczur, READJUST, Fitter-EU , ST4TE

Thank you for all the great talks at the OECD forum last week! 🌍 The MERGE work continues - we'll host tens of events of different nature next year so you'll hear from us soon. If you still haven't subscribed to our newsletter, we really recommend it. You can subscribe through this form here: https://lnkd.in/dRfyV69t Thanks Horizon booth partners in crime READJUST, Fitter-EU and ST4TE for the inspiring three days together, looking forward to future collaborations! 💡

"We have to tell the story that indicators and data are showing us if we want policy makers to foster sustainable and inclusive well-being" This is one of the many insightful takeaways on collective efforts needed to align narratives from the seminar "Beyond GDP to sustainable and inclusive well-being – How can we leverage the impact of EU-funded projects on metrics, models, and policies at EU and international level?" organised by EU funded sister project MERGE during the 7th OECD - OCDE Forum on Well-being in Rome. More details in the post below ⬇️ Many thanks for introducing and leading the panel to Tuuli Hirvilammi, Mario Biggeri, Rutger Hoekstra and Dr. Christoph Gran and Jenni Kilpi Many thanks also to Ana Boskovic, Joint Research Centre, Alina Şandor, Joint Research Centre, Carrie Exton, OECD - OCDE WISE, Enrico Giovannini, ASviS - Alleanza Italiana per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile, Richard Heys, Office for National Statistics and Robert Morgan, Welsh Government. Ministero dell'Economia e delle Finanze | Istat | G7 ITALIA | European Commission #inidcators #data #wellbeing #sustainability #transition #sustainabilityperformances #Horizon

The #OECD World Forum on Well-being has just passed. As said at the closing, now for a while all roads depart from Rome. It was great to meet many old and new collaborators on #sustainable and #inclusive #wellbeing, including the #mergeproject, and many colleagues from the #JRC. Let us sieze the opportunity to converge, and put the by now well established tools and methods to work, making sure that the #EU economy's revival serves the #wellbeing of all people of the current and #futuregenerations, and of the #planet.

📚MERGE content repository now open to all! MERGE is a young project, but our work progresses swiftly, thanks to the strong foundation built by our sibling projects: ToBe Research, WISE Horizons , SPES Sustainability Performances, Evidence & Scenarios, and REAL (realpostgrowth.eu). These projects have produced a wealth of publications and academic articles on Beyond-GDP approaches to measuring what matters. MERGE continues to integrate their insights to advance the deployment of Beyond-GDP indicators in European policymaking.🧭 Now, all contributions from both MERGE and the sibling projects are available to you in one place: the MERGE Repository. Here, you can explore a diverse range of resources organized into three key categories: 1️⃣ Technical indicators and measuring topics – Dive into the discussions around indicators and measuring frameworks 2️⃣ Direct Policy Suggestions – Find actionable policy insights based on our research findings. 3️⃣ Agenda-setting: What kind of a world are we envisioning – Explore the paradigm shift that drives our work and shapes our goals. Take a look and explore our findings here: https://lnkd.in/dnhQwr2h

Making data matter - it’s a collaborative push. 👉 Our biggest thanks to everyone who participated in our session yesterday morning at the 7th OECD World Forum on Well-being. What resulted into success is bringing about sustainable and inclusive wellbeing in practice, we heard from our great panelists: Ana Boskovic, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Alina Şandor, Joint Research Centre, European Commission, Carrie Exton, OECD - OCDE WISE, Enrico Giovannini, Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), Richard Heys, Office for National Statistics and Robert Morgan, Welsh Government. From the Future Generations Act in Wales, and the Interservice working group on sustainable and inclusive wellbeing of the European Commission, to the How’s life reports from the OECD, a lot of work has been and continues to be done. There is absolutely no need to start from scratch. At the session, we aimed to identify how to be helpful. We heard from Enrico Giovannini how it’s essential we “stimulate the whole society” to care for sustainable and inclusive wellbeing - solely a fantastic indicator system, or a piece of legislation aren’t enough on their own. As MERGE, we aim to help and support the various interventions required. MERGE brings together tens of millions of euros and tens of collaborators around the world. But what was clear was that we are not alone in our efforts but acting collectively on the different levels. Through convergence and coordination we are committed to work towards sustainable and inclusive wellbeing. 🧶 Thank you for the great intros to our Tuuli Hirvilammi, Mario Biggeri, Rutger Hoekstra and Dr. Christoph Gran and Jenni Kilpi for leading the panel. Thanks OECD - OCDE for a great collaboration on this one and giving us the opportunity! SPES Sustainability Performances, Evidence & Scenarios, ToBe Research, WISE Horizons, Tampere University, Leiden University, Università degli Studi di Firenze, ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies, Demos Helsinki

A reminder for those in Rome - this is happening tomorrow! So far at the forum, we have heard many good discussions on measuring progress on sustainable development and going Beyond GDP. Tomorrow we'll continue the talks with our great group of speakers - see you there! 

📚MERGE content repository now open to all! MERGE is a young project, but our work progresses swiftly, thanks to the strong foundation built by our sibling projects: ToBe Research, WISE Horizons , SPES Sustainability Performances, Evidence & Scenarios, and REAL (realpostgrowth.eu). These projects have produced a wealth of publications and academic articles on Beyond-GDP approaches to measuring what matters. MERGE continues to integrate their insights to advance the deployment of Beyond-GDP indicators in European policymaking.🧭 Now, all contributions from both MERGE and the sibling projects are available to you in one place: the MERGE Repository. Here, you can explore a diverse range of resources organized into three key categories: 1️⃣ Technical indicators and measuring topics – Dive into the discussions around indicators and measuring frameworks 2️⃣ Direct Policy Suggestions – Find actionable policy insights based on our research findings. 3️⃣ Agenda-setting: What kind of a world are we envisioning – Explore the paradigm shift that drives our work and shapes our goals. Take a look and explore our findings here: https://lnkd.in/dnhQwr2h

🗺How to ensure that research on Beyond-GDP metrics has real effect on policy? We are happy to invite you to our session at the 7th OECD Forum on Well-being! MERGE is hosting a session with the title Beyond GDP to sustainable and inclusive wellbeing – How can we leverage the impact of EU-funded projects on metrics, models, and policies at EU and international level?   🕗 When: Wednesday 6 November 2024, 8:00-8:50  🏛️ Where: Studio 2, Auditorium Parco della Musica Ennio Morricone (on site only) 📋 Session programme: https://lnkd.in/ddUj_PyE The seminar will address Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing (SIWB) and its integration to policymaking. A recent policy advocacy paper titled “A European Agenda To Navigate Uncertain Times – How to steer the EU towards wellbeing for all now and in the future” will be briefly presented to inspire the discussion. You are warmly welcome to join us! At the session you will meet: Tuuli Hirvilammi, Tampere University  Rutger Hoekstra, Universiteit Leiden Mario Biggeri, Università degli Studi di Firenze Ana Boskovic, Joint Research Centre, European Commission Alina Şandor, Joint Research Centre, European Commission Carrie Exton, OECD - OCDE WISE Enrico Giovannini, Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS), University of Rome Tor Vergata, Luiss Guido Carli Richard Heys, Office for National Statistics Robert Morgan, Welsh Government Dr. Christoph Gran, ZOE Institute for Future-fit Economies Jenni Kilpi, Demos Helsinki