Ian Bache

Louise Reardon

'I have never seen a book like this. The authors seem to me to be ahead of their time: they are the first to try to explain the gradual rise and rise of ideas about 'wellbeing' in modern society. At the time of writing, nobody knows where this intellectual current will end, but it will probably be several oceans away. The book should be read by economists, psychologists, political scientists, historians and policy-makers. It is a prescient and wickedly interesting read.'- Andrew Oswald, University of Warwick, UK

Understanding the Rise and Significance of a New Agenda

The Politics and Policy of Wellbeing

Government interest in wellbeing as an explicit goal of public policy has increased significantly in recent years, leading to new developments in measuring wellbeing and initiatives aimed specifically at enhancing wellbeing. This book provides the first theoretically informed account of the rise and significance of this agenda, drawing on the multiple streams approach, to consider whether wellbeing can be described as ‘an idea whose time has come’. It reflects on developments across the globe and provides a detailed comparative analysis of two political arenas: the UK and the EU.

Louise Reardon

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