Well-Being, Public Policies and Sustainable Human Developpement
Within the framework of Sorbonne-Alliance 2023, Sorbonne-Nouvelle University and Panthéon-Sorbonne University are organizing an international interdisciplinary conference on well-being and sustainable human development.
The aim is to discuss well-being in relation to the history of economic thought and evolution of government policies, and to consider how well-being perspectives may have changed following recent challenges such as Brexit for the United Kingdom, the COVID-19 health crisis and current inflation challenges.
How can we reconcile economic measurement with humanism, in order to help governments promote the well-being of their population and sustainable human development? How was well-being used in public policies before and after 2009 when it gained prominence following the Stiglitz-Fitoussi-Sen report? The goal is to identify best practices and policies, and to consider threats and possible solutions. Finally, we will discuss how different well-being perspectives can address current and future environmental, social and economic challenges.
Submissions from different disciplines are welcome including both quantitative and qualitative forms of research. This conference is also open to practitioners who may report on their experience conducting measurement or implementing well-being insights into their business, non-governmental organizations or government. The following list of potential topics is not exhaustive.
Potential topics
How did governments conceive of well-being before 2009? What public policies were put in place as a result, and what were their impacts? Examples include: Jeremy Bentham and his fundamental axiom of "maximum welfare for the greatest number of people" (1776); Alfred Marshall's definition of political economy in his book Principles of Economics (1890), in which he mentioned welfare (or well-being) as an essential objective of any economic policy; and or more recently, social indicators such as the Human Development Index and the Bhutanese government’s Gross National Happiness.
How was well-being measured during and after the COVID-19 pandemic and how did governments address the results?
What are the conceptions of well-being in economic thought and how have they evolved? Conceptions may reflect ancient, classical and / or more modern periods, and may also cover different geographical areas.
What has been the economic, social and cultural impact of the trade tensions between the UK, the US and their major partners, particularly
for those in the English-speaking world, in terms of trade relations, economic growth, and well-being? Are the impacts perceived differently within the constituent nations of the UK such as Scotland or Northern Ireland? Both GDP and well-being growth need to be taken into account in order to get a true picture of the UK economy. What has been the economic and social impact of the austerity policy, what is its future?
Does well-being play a bigger role in economic policies in the UK and in English-speaking countries?
With regard to the labour market, what explains the recently high levels of resignation and retirement? Have particular forms of malaise
during confinement been identified? What is the impact of artificial intelligence on well-being and sustainable human development? How have governments accompanied these changes, especially teleworking, and measured their impacts on well-being at work?
How well is the financial sector achieving inclusiveness in regards to well-being, especially following the recent recession and inflation
challenges? What means do public policies use to develop incentives?
The deadline for submission is September 15, 2023.
Proposals should be sent to Catherine Coron (catherine.coron@u-paris2.fr), Marie Mallet (marie-laure.mallet@sorbonne-nouvelle.fr) and
Nadeera Rajapakse (nadeera.rajapakse@univ-paris1.fr).
They should include a title, abstract (between 200 and 250 words), and a short biography (one page maximum) that mentions the author's most recent publications.
Scientific Committee: Nathalie Sigot (Professor, PHARE Research Centre, University of Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne), Sylvie Rivot
(Professor, University of Strasbourg), David Fee (Professor, Director of the Pôle vie politique, Sorbonne-Nouvelle University Paris 3),
Francesco Sarracino (Senior Economist, Statec Research), Christine Zumello (Professor, Christine Zumello (Professor, Director of the Pôle
vie économique, Université Sorbonne-Nouvelle Paris 3), Sébastien Lotz (Professor, Université Panthéon-Assas), Yves-Marie Péréon
(Professor, CERSA, Université Panthéon-Assas Paris II), Mathilde Gaillard (Associate Professor, Université Panthéon-Assas).
Organising Committee: Catherine Coron, Marie Mallet, Nadeera Rajapakse, Arthur Magnier, Kelsey J. O’Connor, and Chiara Peroni.
Registration : catherine.coron@u-paris2.fr