Wellbeing State Network

This network promotes 'the wellbeing state' as a democratic response to the global rise of authoritarian populism. Although criticism of authoritarian populism abounds, there is little agreement about how it might best be countered. Much policy design is restricted by the TINA doctrine which asserts 'there is no alternative' to our current form of democracy in spite of its ongoing association with individualism, colonial logics, and androcentrism. Yet a growing body of research indicates that the rise of authoritarian populism is, at least in part, a response to the last 50 years of these individualistic economic and social policies which have led to deep social divisions and inequality. To reverse this trend we must attend more carefully to how we might support each other to thrive rather than just survive. Although research and policy work into human thriving, referred to as 'wellbeing', is a fast-growing field, its vision is still often dismissed as unrealistic, hampering attempts to translate conceptual research into policy solutions. This network mobilises wellbeing research under the title 'the wellbeing state' as a framework for a robust, resilient democracy, able to withstand the threat of authoritarian populism.
With support from Professor Thomas Piketty (who has agreed to provide a keynote speech at our convention) and the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, the network brings together researchers, policy makers, and social and political influencers, to a) consolidate the emerging shared language concerning the causes of, and collective wellbeing solutions to, authoritarian populism; b) begin to collaboratively construct feasible alternatives by re-imagining the democratic state as a 'wellbeing state': our name for the infrastructure required to support collective wellbeing; and c) inform blue-sky policy design to begin actualising alternatives. We will then seek further funding to develop our policy work and support the network to instigate a culture shift...