Well-being Economy in Practice: A Translation Framework for Local Public Health and Sustainability
Abstract
Danish municipalities are increasingly responsible for prevention, welfare services, and local development, while facing mounting pressures related to rising costs, social inequality, and climate change. These challenges call for new approaches to understanding value creation and policy priorities. Well-being economics (WE) is an emerging framework that positions human and planetary well-being before economic growth. The aim is to explore how WE can be translated into Danish municipal practice and support local work on well-being, public health, and sustainability. Through a nationwide partnership, the project seeks to develop a practice-oriented framework for applying WE in local decision-making. We combine a literature-based conceptual review with close collaboration with municipal practitioners. A structured translation exercise is conducted to develop a shared definition and an operational framework for WE in a Danish municipal context, supported by practice examples and tools. In parallel, existing municipal initiatives are mapped to identify implementation pathways, barriers, and enabling conditions. Preliminary findings indicate WE is widely perceived as conceptually relevant but operationally unclear. Implementation is often driven by individual champions rather than formal governance structures. Key challenges relate to economic rationales, political legitimacy, and data availability. At the same time, practitioners report strong motivation linked to meaningful, citizen-oriented work. Overall, implementation appears as an incremental cultural change rather than a comprehensive system transformation. WE may serve as a useful reframing approach for municipalities addressing complex public health and sustainability challenges. However, its practical application requires clearer conceptual translation, relevant indicators, and institutional anchoring. The framework developed aims to support municipalities in moving from abstract ambition to concrete practice.
Key messages: • Well-being economics offers municipalities a promising framework for prioritising well-being outcomes in public decision-making beyond economic performance indicators.
• Effective implementation of a well-being economy at local level requires operational tools, measurable outcomes, and institutional support.
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BibTeX
@article{winding2026wellbeing,
title = {{Well-being Economy in Practice: A Translation Framework for Local Public Health and Sustainability}},
author = {C Winding and R Holm and C Bjørk Petersen and A Blædel Gottlieb Hansen and L Mygind Grønfeldt},
journal = {The European Journal of Public Health},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.185},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.185},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Well-being Economy in Practice: A Translation Framework for Local Public Health and Sustainability
AU - C Winding
AU - R Holm
AU - C Bjørk Petersen
AU - A Blædel Gottlieb Hansen
AU - L Mygind Grønfeldt
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - The European Journal of Public Health
DO - 10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.185
UR - https://doi.org/10.1093/eurpub/ckag169.185
AB - Danish municipalities are increasingly responsible for prevention, welfare services, and local development, while facing mounting pressures related to rising costs, social inequality, and climate change. These challenges call for new approaches to understanding value creation and policy priorities. Well-being economics (WE) is an emerging framework that positions human and planetary well-being before economic growth. The aim is to explore how WE can be translated into Danish municipal practice and support local work on well-being, public health, and sustainability. Through a nationwide partnership, the project seeks to develop a practice-oriented framework for applying WE in local decision-making. We combine a literature-based conceptual review with close collaboration with municipal practitioners. A structured translation exercise is conducted to develop a shared definition and an operational framework for WE in a Danish municipal context, supported by practice examples and tools. In parallel, existing municipal initiatives are mapped to identify implementation pathways, barriers, and enabling conditions. Preliminary findings indicate WE is widely perceived as conceptually relevant but operationally unclear. Implementation is often driven by individual champions rather than formal governance structures. Key challenges relate to economic rationales, political legitimacy, and data availability. At the same time, practitioners report strong motivation linked to meaningful, citizen-oriented work. Overall, implementation appears as an incremental cultural change rather than a comprehensive system transformation. WE may serve as a useful reframing approach for municipalities addressing complex public health and sustainability challenges. However, its practical application requires clearer conceptual translation, relevant indicators, and institutional anchoring. The framework developed aims to support municipalities in moving from abstract ambition to concrete practice. Key messages: • Well-being economics offers municipalities a promising framework for prioritising well-being outcomes in public decision-making beyond economic performance indicators. • Effective implementation of a well-being economy at local level requires operational tools, measurable outcomes, and institutional support.
SN - 1101-1262
SN - 1464-360X
ER -