Finally , as part of its Better Life Index programme , the OECD has developed regional level indices . These Regional Better Life indices are measured across 11 facets – income , jobs , housing , health , access to services , environment , education , safety , civic engagement and governance , community , and life satisfaction . A score for each is calculated to allow comparison across both time and place . ( see Figure 4 ).
CONCLUSIONS Measurement is essential for informing policy and directing scarce resources where they can be of most value . However , the measurement tools at our disposal are often imprecise or inadequate . The drive to develop new ways of measuring our collective wellbeing , while being well advanced , has not gained the widespread recognition and adoption that needs to happen to ensure all aspects of well-being are considered . It is the responsibility of all stakeholders – citizens , academics , policymakers and politicians – to better understand these measures and advocate for their inclusion into the decision-making process .
REFERENCES
Figure 4 . Regional Well Being Indicators for Western Australia
Source : OECD https :// oecdregionalwellbeing . org / AU5 . html
1 . https :// www . abs . gov . au / AUSSTATS / abs @. nsf / 7d12b0f6763c78caca257061001cc588 / 7ce4 3a416d16682eca257b79001c4571 ! OpenDoc ument
2 . https :// uwaterloo . ca / canadian-indexwellbeing /
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
NEDC23 SPEAKER
DR . SUSAN STONE Dr Susan Stone is the Credit Union SA Chair of Economics at UniSA . In this capacity she undertakes research in the support of sustainable , equitable and resilient growth for the South
Australian economy .
Dr Stone has extensive experience in developing policy support for economic development at the local , regional and global levels . This experience includes supporting business development , sustainable growth and long-term economic resiliency in the face of a fastchanging global landscape . Prior to joining UniSA Business Dr Stone headed the Emerging Policy Issues Division at the Trade and Agriculture Directorate of the OECD . The work of the division focuses on issues relating developing sustainability in markets at the global level , the digital economy and international trade and the role of government subsidies in development .
Having joined the OECD as a Senior Trade Economist in 2009 , she worked on a number of projects related to trade , including leading the team that developed the OECD METRO model , a computable general equilibrium model which provided policy support and guidance to member countries . In 2015 , Dr Stone was seconded to UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ( ESCAP ) as Director , Trade , Investment and Innovation Division where she oversaw the implementation of the Commission ’ s work programme in the areas of trade , investment , SME development , technology and technology transfer , and innovation . Prior to joining the OECD , Dr Stone was a Senior Research Fellow at the Asian Development Bank Institute in Tokyo , a Research Manager at the Australian Productivity Commission in Melbourne and a Senior Analyst at the US Environmental Protection Agency in Washington DC . She also worked as a Financial Valuation Analyst in the private sector . Her work has been published as national and multinational government reports , edited volumes , and in peer-reviewed journals . A dual United States-Australian national , Dr Stone holds a PhD in Economics and a Master ’ s Degree in Business and Finance , from Drexel University in Philadelphia , United States .
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