Compares the indicators of income; education; longevity; and inclusivity for the OECD countries and the nations of the UK.
Main Points
- The Index of Social and Economic Well-being (ISEW) incorporates four of the most essential elements of well being: income; education; longevity; and inclusivity.
- The Index allows for a comparison of the relative progress of 32 OECD countries (including the four constituent countries of the UK) to be made between 2006 and 2018, i.e. how they have coped post the economic crisis and during a period of public sector funding restraint.
- Results show that over this period 3 of the top 5 performing countries stayed the same (Switzerland, Norway, Iceland) while Canada and the Netherlands were replaced by Japan and Sweden.
- Similarly, 4 of the bottom 5 performing countries stayed the same (Greece, Hungary, the Slovak Republic and Poland) while Estonia was replaced by Italy.
- Estonia experienced the biggest rise in its Index ranking, moving up nine places from 29th to 20th. Scotland experienced the joint biggest fall (along with Wales) in its Index ranking, moving down five places from 16th to joint 21st.
- The biggest rises in overall Index scores were seen in Eastern European countries (Poland and Estonia), although in most cases starting from a low base and so having little impact on their overall ranking. Other countries doing well include Germany, the Czech Republic and Japan.
- 3 countries experienced falls in their overall Index scores: Greece, Scotland and Finland.
- Within the UK, the ranking of:
- • England did not change, remaining a little above mid-table (i.e second quartile);
- • Scotland fell into the third quartile of countries, due to a decline in its education and income performances, the latter associated with the decline in North Sea related activity. Despite this, Scotland’s very poor life expectancy performance remains its weakest area of performance;
- • Wales and Northern Ireland both fell into the bottom quartile of countries, principally due to poor GDP performances.
- The relatively poor Scottish performance, in terms of education and health, suggests that changes may be needed to the, still young, devolved political system. Such changes should involve strengthening the challenge and scrutiny roles both within and out-with the Parliament.
- Looking across the UK as a whole, the results highlight the fact that greater political devolution alone does not easily lead to an improving performance in key areas of wellbeing. In fact, unless proper supporting bodies are also cultivated, it can lead to a weakening in some important aspects of policy development.