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This section of the website contains information from the ESRC funded Wellbeing in Developing Countries Research Group from 2002 to 2008 and is no longer updated. For more recent information see the new website.

8 November 2008 At the DSA Conference, Sarah White convened a session Wellbeing and Development Policy and Practice in the 21st Century. See Abstracts

October 2008 "Wellbeing and Develoment in Peru: Local and Universal Views Confronted" edited by James Copestake, published by Palgrave Macmillan

24-25 April 2008 Sarah White is presenting the Keynote Paper "But what is Wellbeing?’ A framework for analysis in social and development policy and practice" at the Conference on Regeneration and Wellbeing: Research into Practice at the University of Bradford. Ian Gough is also a keynote speaker.

2 April 2008 A presentation was made by James Copestake to the All Party Parliamentary Group on Microfinance in the House of Commons, on the topic “Microfinance: social endeavour or commercial enterprise?

21st February 2008 WeD seminar, Wellbeing: Challenges to International Development, at the Palace of Westminster, disseminated the key findings from their five-year research programme. Four briefing papers were presented which argue that international development needs a practical concept of wellbeing if it is to reach and then go beyond the Millennium Development Goals to confront the major and interlinked challenges of poverty, conflict and sustainability. More...and Press release

Wellbeing: Challenges to International Development, at the Palace of Westminster
John Battle, MP (Chair), Allister McGregor (Director, WeD) and Simon Maxwell (Director, ODI)
Picture by Earl Smith

12 January 2008 Joe Devine (WeD) discussed the current political situation in Bangladesh one year on from the declaration of the state of emergency. This discussion took place on BBC Radio Scotland programme Newsweek Scotland. See Press Release

27 November 2007 Article on ESRC Society Today website Wellbeing - not the prerogative of the rich

14-15 November 2007 Allister McGregor spoke at the IIASA Conference '07 on Global Development: Science and Policies for the Future which took place at the Hofburg Imperial Palace, Vienna, Austria. He spoke on "Wellbeing and its Challenges to International Development". See press release

iiasa conference 2007

October 2007 New MSc in Wellbeing and Human Development starts at the University of Bath

24 September 2007 ESRC website features article based on interview with Allister McGregor, 'Striking a Note for Peace?'

3 September 2007 Allister McGregor ESRC Director's Fellowship is confirmed (2007-2008) Details..

31 August 2007 James Copestake presented a seminar to the Consultative Group to Assist the Poorest (CGAP) in Washington DC. The subject was How Relevant is wellbeing to microfinance?

23-25 August 2007 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) was a keynote speaker at the first Latin American Congress of Psychology Students, at San Marcos University, Lima, Peru. 23th-25th August. His presentation was An emic and post-hoc approach in cross-cultural psychology. A multilevel model of wellbeing and development.

10-11 August 2007 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) conducted a seminar: Wellbeing, quality and productivity, organised by the Private University of Iquitos, Iquitos, Peru.

24-27 July 2007 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) was a keynote speaker at the XIII National Congress of Psychology and IIII nternational Congress of Psychology organised by the Peruvian Psychological Association, Cusco, Perú. His presentation was Wellbeing in rural, peri-urban and urban-marginal communities in Peru. An alternative model of wellbeing and development.

20 July 2007 Defra held a Lunchtime Seminar: Wellbeing & Sustainable Development. Julie Newton and Professor Ian Gough (WeD) presented Wellbeing: a new focus for policy? This seminar explored the value of a wellbeing approach to sustainable development policy both in the UK and in a developing country’s context. Questions include: Is wellbeing only relevant to wealthier nations? What can we learn from the poorest countries about how policy can support wellbeing in the UK

18-19 July 2007 The Happiness and Public Policy Conference organised bythe Public Policy Development Office, in Bangkok, Thailand, is to be attended by several members of WeD including Allister McGregor who is presenting in the final session 'Pathways to Happiness'

2-4 July 2007 Several members of WeD attended the conference Poverty and Capital organised by the Global Poverty Research Group and Brooks World Poverty Institute Conference at the University of Manchester. Their was a WeD panel session 'Capital and Wellbeing'. The following papers were presented:
Reproducing an Unequal Security: Peru as a Wellbeing Regime, Geof Wood and James Copestake.
Subjective Wellbeing and Development in Peru: an Empirical Approach, Jorge Yamamoto and James Copestake.

Exploring the meaning of consumption through expenditure and motives in a Peruvian corridor Monica Guillen Royo.
The Role of Markets in the Construction of Wellbeing: the Need for a Polanyian Perspective Susan Johnson.

28-30 June 2007 - Wellbeing in International Development Conference at the University of Bath. See details including abstracts and papers, press release, conference photographs (more)

30 May - 1 June 2007 Launch of the Oxford Policy and Human Development Initiative attended by Allister McGregor (took part in invited workshop), Séverine Deneulin (co-organiser) and Laura Camfield (presenter/ discussant for session on Subjective Meaning)

29 May 2007 Article in eGov monitor What has wellbeing got to do with poverty in the developing world? by Allister McGregor

22 May 2007 WeD members attend the Sustainable Development Commission's conference Wellbeing: A Common Approach

24-25 April 2007 Allister McGregor had meetings with SIDA (Swedish International Development Coordination Agency) to discuss the implications of WeD research on Swedish policy. See Newsletter

11-13 April 2007 Several members of WeD attended the PSA Political Studies Association Conference which included a WeD panel (For papers by Joe Devine, James Copestake, Ian Gough, Becky Schaaf, Julie Newton - see the PSA Website)

3-7 April 2007 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) has been invited to present his paper "Anti-development: an ethical, epistemological and methodological approach in an upside down world" at the Biennial International Congress of Psychology taking place at Santiago de Cuba. Jorge will also be a member of the round table and organiser of a pre-congress course on "Subjective wellbeing: a model of research and intervention".

March 2007 The new publication from the ESRC 'Britain Today' was available from bookstalls featuring an article on Wellbeing in Developing Countries by Allister McGregor (WeD Director)

March 2007 A paper entitled Needs and resources in the investigation of well-being in developing countries: illustrative evidence from Bangladesh and Peru was published in the Journal of Economic Methododology (14:1, 107–131). The authors were J. Allister McGregor, Andrew McKay and Jackeline Velazco

8 -16 March 2007 ESRC Festival of Social Science - WeD events

12 March 2007- WeD researcher visits Tony Blair at No10 Downing Street. Julie Newton (WeD Bath) attended a reception for young scientists. See press release

February 2007 - Sarah White and Joe Devine (WeD Bath) secure £200,000 DFID funding for 'Wellbeing and Religion' research. see press release.

8 January 2007 - WeD researcher presented a number of papers concerning the policy implications of WeD findings to the Mokoro consultants in Oxford. Click here for titles and papers.

23 November 2006 - Ian Gough (Wed Bath) attended a small expert meeting on The Measurement of Wellbeing, organised by the Young Foundation. The goal was to identify measures of local wellbeing to be implemented in three local studies in England. Ian used the WeD framework at Bath to advocate specific local measures of wellbeing.

22 November 2006 The British Association for South Asian Studies (BASAS) held its 3rd Annual Workshop at the University of Bath.

23-25 October 2006 The CPRC conference The Concepts and Methods for Analysing Poverty Dynamics and Chronic Poverty was attended by Peter Davis (WeD Bath) who presented his paper Poverty in time: exploring poverty dynamics from life history interviews in Bangladesh

29-30 September 2006 The Conference held by WIDER, entitled Advancing Health Equity was attended by Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) who presented her paper Universal Coverage but Unequal Outcomes? An Exploration of Factors Affecting the Use of Health Services, and the Impact of Sustained Ill Health in Northeast and South Thailand (see Conference website)

30 August - 3 September 2006 Pip Bevan (WeD Bath) attended the American Political Science Association 102nd Annual Meeting and Exhibition 'Power Reconsidered' in Philadelphia and presented a paper 'Poverty and Social Policy in Developing Contexts: Ethiopia's In/Security Regime' as part of a Panel entitled 'Rethinking Policy Reform: The Politics of Poverty and Social Policy in Developing Countries'

September 2006 The paper Research on Well-Being: Some Advice from Jeremy Bentham by David Collard (WeD Bath) was published in the journal Philosophy of the Social Sciences. Vol. 36, 3, 330-354

17-20 July 2006, Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) attended the International Society for Quality of Life Studies conference:
'Prospects for Quality of Life in the New Millennium'
. This was the 7th conference held by ISQOLS, but the first to be held in Africa, which encouraged a wider range of participants and stronger focus on poverty and inequality.
Laura chaired the track 'Developing and transition country issues' and also presented a paper entitled ‘Universal coverage but unequal access? Factors affecting the use of health services in Northeast & South Thailand’. Sessions of particular interest to WeD included measuring poverty, inequality, and social exclusion; the effect of pro-poor policies; income and SWB, and health, wellbeing, and the social environment.

12 July 2006 WeD Bath researchers took part in the ESRC Parliamentary Summer Reception at Westminster. This was attended by a number or MPs, NGOs, governmental organisations and the media.

10 July 2006 Julie Newton (WeD Bath) participated in a meeting of the Westminster Wellbeing Working Group more information to follow

July 2006 WeD Peru team's national workshop at the Huaychulo Lodge (9-11 July below) reported in 'El Correo' and the subject of radio interviews on local Peruvian stations.

9-11 July 2006 The WeD Peru team held a national workshop at the Huaychulo Lodge in the Mantaro Valley. Invitees included representatives of leading research institutions in Peru. Drafts of seven chapters from the WeD country book ("Wellbeing and Development in Peru" due to be published at the end of 2007) were presented by the WeD team. The event was successful in challenging and interpreting findings, as well as refining core arguments for the book.

5-8 July 2006 The First International Psychology Congress was held from in Arequipa, Peru, at Saint Mary's Catholic University. 850 peope, mainly from south Andean departments of Peru attended. Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) was an invited speaker, presenting the WEDQOL methodology and life satisfaction three-factor confirmatory solution. Comments mostly related to the originality and the ad-hoc design of the instrument as a response to the felt need in Andean communities for research that reflects local values and priorities. Much expectation for publications was generated among participants.

29 -30 June 2006 Mònica Guillén Royo (WeD Bath) presented a paper entitled 'Are poor consumers getting what they need? an exploration of expenditures on health and autonomy in a Peruvian slum' at the Global Sudies Post-Graduate and Young Researchers Conference in Manchester.

10-11 June 2006 Several members of the WeD Ethiopia team attended the Ethiopian Economics Association International Conference in Addis Ababa. They presented a number of papers at a special Wellbeing in Developing Countries Panel. Click here to view abstracts.

6-7 June 2006 Members of the WeD Ethiopia team met with members of the Donor Group on Gender Equality (DGGE) to discuss the implications of WeD research in Ethiopia. Amongst those attending were members of DFID, CIDA, SIDA, GTZ, OIM, UNICEF, DCI, AEDC and UNFPA

31 May 2006 The roundtable conference Emerging research on trade, development and poverty linkages: Implications for the Doha Round organised by CUTS International was attended by Jackeline Velazco and Susan Upton (WeD Bath). This is part of the Linkages between Trade, Development and Poverty Reduction (TDP) project.

31 March - 2 April 2006 Members of WeD attended the Society for Latin American Studies, SLAS Conference at Nottingham University. James Copestake (WeD Bath) and Teófilo Altamirano (WeD Peru) were convenors for the panel Individual, local and global perceptions of wellbeing in Peru and beyond. (See panel report) The following papers were presented:
JL Alvarez (WeD Bath), J Copestake (WeD Bath):Researching wellbeing and development in Peru: a corridor analysis
J Yamamoto (WeD Peru):Local and global components of life satisfaction along the Peruvian corridor: an integrative approach
JL Alvarez, J Copestake: Collective action and participation in food transfer programmes along a Peruvian corridor
T Altamirano, J Copestake: Spatial movement and wellbeing along a Peruvian corridor
T Altamirano
: Transnationalism and local development: highland Peruvian shepherds in the USA
K Wright-Revolledo
(WeD Bath): Identity and wellbeing across spatial boundaries: the experience of Peruvian migrants in London and Madrid See conference website

31 March 2006 Ian Gough and Andy McKay (WeD Bath) attended the ODI Roundtable on Equity and Development. Several papers where presented which discussed some of relationships between equity, poverty, quality of life and development. See ODI website at www.odi.org.uk

March 2006 The paper by David Collard (Wed Bath) Research on Well-Being: Some Advice from Jeremy Bentham has accepted for publication in Philosophy of the Social Sciences 2006

March 2006
Professor Geof Wood and Ian Gough (WeD Bath) publication ‘A Comparative Welfare Regime Approach To Global Social Policy’ has accepted by World Development for publication in the fall 2006. In summary:
Beginning from the framework of welfare state regimes in rich capitalist countries, this article radically redefines it and applies the new model to regions and countries which experience problematic states as well as imperfect markets. A broader, comparative typology of regimes (welfare state, informal security, insecurity) is proposed, which captures the essential relationships between social and cultural conditions, institutional performance, welfare outcomes and path dependence. Using this model, different regions of the world (East Asia, South Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa) are compared. For many poorer, partially capitalized societies, people’s security relies informally upon various clientelist relationships. Formalizing rights to security via strategies for de-clientelization becomes a stepping stone to protecting people against the insecurity of markets.

February 2006 The MA thesis by Bethlehem Tekola (WeD Ethiopia) Commercial sex workers indigenous to Addis Ababa published in the Forum for Social Studies. See article

February 2006 Book published by Dr Severine Deneulin (Department of Economics and International Development, Bath) on the capability approach and wellbeing, 'The Capability Approach and the Praxis of Development', published with Palgrave/MacMillan
The full reference can be found at <http://www.palgrave.com/products/Catalogue.aspx?is=1403999333>

12-15 December 2005 Ian Gough, Geof Wood and Julie Newton (WeD Bath) and Derese Getachew (WeD Ethiopia) attended the World Bank International Conference New Frontiers of Social Policy: Development in a Globalizing World, organized in collaboration with DfID, Sida, as well as the Governments of Norway and Finland. This took place in Arusha, Tanzania. World class academics, policy analysts, practitioners and policy makers from developing and developed countries came together to share and discuss cutting edge research and social policy praxis. The outcomes are summarised in the Arusha Statement (see link from http://www.worldbank.org/socialpolicy )
Abstract and full paper available for From Welfare to Wellbeing Regimes: Engaging New Agendas - Geof Wood and Julie Newton
Picture

9 December 2005 ESRC/DSA Policy Forum Africa after 2005: From promises to policy. This forum presented cutting edge research from three of the ESRC’s leading centres on international development. Feleke Tadele (WeD Ethiopia) presented the paper by Dr Pip Bevan (WeD Bath) & Dr Alula Pankhurst (WeD Ethiopia), The importance of understanding the 'local' The publication from this event is available as a pdf. See also press release.

9 December 2005 Teresa King (WeD Bath) attended the ESRC Research Seminar Beyond Homo Economicus: Money, Materialism and Wellbeing This included presentations by Stephen Lea, Tim Kasser, Lord Layard and Andrew Clark on their work and thoughts relating to money, materialism and happiness. Please contact Teresa (t.king2@bath.ac.uk) if you would like further details.

9 December 2005 Jackeline Velazco (WeD Bath) presented the WeD RANQ analysis proposal in a paper "Exploring the relationship between needs satisfaction and access to resources at the household level: Evidence from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Peru and Thailand" at the workshop Methodology of Development Economics, Centre for Economic Methodology (SCEME), University of Stirling

8 December 2005 Alula Pankhurst (WeD Ethiopia) presented Migration and Wellbeing at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs/World Bank/ILO technical workshop on Labour Markets and Employment in Ethiopia and the Emerging Policy Agenda

8 December 2005 Allister McGregor (WeD Director) presented the work of the Research Group to the Humanities for the European Research Area (Hera) meeting 'What role does Arts and Humanities have to play in relation to development?'

1 December 2005 WeD's research in Ethiopia on HIV/AIDS (Alula Pankhurst and Pip Bevan) features in an article in ESRC Society Today 'The Real Cost of Aids'.

14-19 November 2005 The Catholic University of Peru and the University Research Centre in Economics, Sociology, Politics and Anthropology (CISEPA) presented an exhibition of current research promoted by the University. The Peru WeD research group exhibited the research team structure, working papers, photographs, CDs, pictures of research sites as well as details of the WeD Research Group as a whole. The exhibit took place in the University campus and was open to the public.

7-10 November 2005 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) presented A comparison between urban and rural satisfaction with life results from Peru WeD, at the Congress of Latin American and Caribbean Psychology held in Cuba. A proposal for a Latin American perspective on wellbeing was presented.

1 November 2005 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) presented an emic satisfaction with life model and its implications for intervention programs as part of the PUCP institutional presentation at the 50 Anniversary Conference of Psychology Faculty at San Marcos University, Peru.

1 November 2005 Teofilo Altamirano (WeD Peru) attend and introduced the work of WeD, at the launching of a large project titled: Educating the Global City, at the School of Education, University of New York.

31 October 2005 Teofilo Altamirano (WeD Peru) presented a paper: Central Peruvian Highland Shepherders in the American West: Impacts on local Development Monmouth University, US. Teo refered extensively to the WeD project.

October 2005 Allister McGregor (WeD Director) invited to become a member of the Consortium Advisory Group for the Research Programme Consortium (RPC) Implementing Education Quality in Low Income Countries (EdQual). This initiative is funded by DFID and based at the University of Bristol

September 29 to October 1 2005 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) was an invited speaker at the 4th International Summit of Positive Psychology 2005 to be held in Washington DC. It is one of the most important conferences in quality of life - happiness studies in psychology. The conference was about "Happiness, Adaptation, and Evolution: Lessons from Remote Andean and Amazonian Villages" Jorge presented the Peru WeD quality of life methodology, preliminary results and theoretical discussion. In addition, implications for interventions was discused. The reaction of the specialized audience was very positive. The original alternative methodological approach, the theoretical discussion and the implications for practitioners were the points of more impact. The was interest in future collaboration from Iceland, Australia, Korea, China from the United States. This is an exciting prelude for the 4 countries WeD quality of life analysis to be presented at the beginning of 2006.

29-30 September 2005 Dr. Awae Masae (WeD Thailand) attended the South Thailand Political Science and Public Administration 2005 Annual Conference and presented a paper entitled Collective Action: A Means to Reconciliation at the Community Level at JB Hotel, Hat Yai, organized by Faculty of Management Science, Prince of Songkla University (the paper includes some finding form WeD project as a case study in its analysis).

11th-14th September 2005 The 5th International Conference on the Capability Approach: “Knowledge and Public Action”, UNESCO, Paris. Danny Ruta (WeD Visiting Fellow) presented a paper written with Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) and Cam Donaldson entitled Sen and the art of quality of life maintenance: Towards a general theory of quality of life and its causation.

11th-14th September 2005 Becky Schaaf (Postgrad WeD Bath) attended the Complexity, Science and Society Conference, at the Centre for Complexity Research based at the University of Liverpool. It brought together participants from academia, private and public sectors from a range of disciplines including art, philosophy, sociology, maths and physics. The purpose of the conference was to discuss the application and relevance of complexity theory to an enhanced understanding of the social and natural sciences.

7-8 August 2005
Festival of Science, Dublin. Monica Guillen Royo, Postgraduate, WeD Bath presents a poster Can happiness be bought?
If not, why do we keep buying?

2 August 2005, the Peru WeD Team held a Symposium within the IV National Congress on Anthropological Research on the current Peru WeD Research. The Symposium was called: Desarrollo Humano, Bienestar y Pobreza (Human Development, Poverty and Wellbeing). Three papers were presented, one by Professor Jorge Yamamoto, one by Professor Teofilo Altamirano and the third by Gonzalo Valderrama, a young anthropologist from Cuzco. The papers addressed the three above stated major issues.The presentation was attended by about 150 persons and was very well received.

1 July 2005 Dr Savittree Limchaiarunruang and Ass. Prof. Malee Sabaiying (WeD Thailand) attended the 1st annual conference on Population and Society organized by Institute of Population and Social Research, Mahidol University, Bangkok

July 2005 Jorge Yamamoto (Wed Peru) presented WeD QoL findings at a series of conferences at EAFIT University, Medellin, Columbia. Jorge is working with practitioners in the Amazonian communities (SNV Dutch NGO and IIAP government agency) using WeD QoL for natural resources management policy.

June 2005 Several members of WeD attended the Ethiopian Economists Association Conference, Adis Ababa. See WeD Panel and Papers

27-29 June 2005 Social Policy Association Conference, Bath - WeD Presentations

20-24 June 2005 for ESRC Social Science Week WeD organised events including a discussion, Eradicating poverty: making aid more effective chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby. More details and press release. Audio files available to listen live.

21 June 2005 Citations in Economic Growth Center
Yale Univeristy, Centre Discussion Paper No. 916
Human Development: Beyond the HDI for Ian Gough and Laura Camfield (WeD Bath)

20-24 June 2005 Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) presented at the Rethinking development: Local Pathways to Global Wellbeing conference, Novia Scotia (see http://www.gpiatlantic.org/) on the findings of the first exploratory phase of the QoL research (see WeD Newsletter, April 2005) and the potential of the WeD-QoL in evaluation and planning. This was the second conference on the
concept of Gross National Happiness (originally from Bhutan) as a new international indicator and more grounded paradigm for development.

16-18 June 2005 Paper presented at the Capabilities and Happiness Conference, Milan Exploring the relationship between happiness, objective and subjective well-being: Evidence from rural Thailand by Mònica Guillén Royo and Jackeline Velazco (WeD Bath)

15-17 June 2005 Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) attended The Pathways to Resilience: International Conference, Novia Scotia. This was the culmination of the first two years of the International Resilience project, a multidisciplinary, multi method study that has brought together researchers and practitioners working with ‘resilient youth’ in 14 sites across five continents (see http://www.resilienceproject.org/). Allister McGregor and Laura Camfield contributed a chapter to the IRP Handbook on Pathways to Resilience across Cultures and Contexts, which was launched at the conference (see May 2005). Laura made an informal presentation and facilitated a discussion on wellbeing in developing countries, and also chaired a session on Economic Challenges to Resilience.

15-16 June 2005 University of Bath Emerging Research Themes in the Economic Analysis of Inequality Workshop This focused in particular on recent innovative ideas, comprising both theoretical and empirical work. Key themes include the multidimensional nature of inequality, the measurement of inequality, dynamic perspectives on inequality and the distinctive insights on inequality offered by WeD. James Copestake (WeD Bath) presented a paper “Inequality and the ESRC Study Group on Wellbeing in Developing Countries”

3 June 2005 Joint DSA/BOND Event: “Research/Practice Interface in 2005: Actions for the Year and Beyond”, SOAS was attended by Geof Wood and Julie Newton (WeD Bath) as well as
165 researchers, practitioners and policy makers.  The keynote speaker was Professor Gordon Conway who provided participants with the benefit of his many years experience at the Research / Practice interface.  Some of the reports of the workshops are available at http://www.devstud.org.uk

19-20 May 2005 INTRAC NGO Research Forum, Oxford. Allister McGregor (Director WeD) presents Understanding the Social and Cultural Construction of Wellbeing in Specific Developing Societies

17-20 May 2005. Dr. Awae Masae (WeD Thailand) attended a regional workshop on “fish fights against fish rights: managing conflict and exit from fisheries and security implication for south and southeast Asia” and presented a paper entitled Aspects of Fisheries Conflicts and Suggested Mitigating Measures between Anchovy and Small-scale Fiheries in Songkhla Province,organized by ICLARM-the Worldfish Centre, International Rice Research Center, Los Banos, Philippines.

May 2005 Handbook for Working with Children and Youth: Pathways to Resilience Across Cultures and Contexts, edited by Michael Ungar, published with chapter: Resilience and wellbeing in developing countries by Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) and Allister McGregor (WeD Director).

May 2005 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) presented a comparison of WeD QoL findings with his previous research on the elderly in a teleconference broadcasted in Peru, Ecuador, Honduras and Mexico hosted by the Development Global Network (World Bank, PUCP).

14-16 April 2005 IDS Alumni Reunion:Security or Insecurity: Changing States and Debates in Development. Geof Wood (WeD Bath) led a plenary session on ‘Using security to indicate wellbeing’

April 2005 Workshop on Governance Issues in Bangladesh, organised by the Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, was attended by Iqbal Khan (WeD Bangladesh).

March 2005 article entitled 'A fresh look at creating better lives' in ESRC The Edge

14-19 March 2005 WeD Workshop in Khon Kaen. Representatives of WeD researchers from Bath and the four partner countries met in Thailand. Discussion involved fieldwork progress so far, the sharing of ideas and experiences and to agree further work that needs to be done in each country in order to conclude a coherent, multi-country programme of research. The keynote speaker was Prof. Charles F. Keyes on Rural ‘Development’ as Viewed in Northeastern Thailand over Four Decades.

11 March 2005 Commission for Africa Report Pip Bevan (WeD Bath) attended the Launch of the Report for the Commission for Africa Report (Our Common Interest). This high profile event was held at the British Museum, London. See www.commissionforafrica.org

March 2005 Workshop on Crime statistics and governance, organised by Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Iqbal Khan, (WeD Bangladesh) participated and shared WeD research.

February 2005 Ian Gough (WeD Deputy Director) and Geof Wood (WeD Bath) were invited to present their work on welfare regimes in developing countries (recently published by CUP) to the Social Development Division of the World Bank. The Bank were keen to incoporate their theory of welfare regimes into their future thinking about the role of social policy in social development, and in its potential as a standard research format to investigate different country's institutional performance. There was espcial interest
in the detailed findings of the WeD research programme and its lessons for how to marry international policies, like the Millennium Development Goals, to local realities on the ground.

February 2005 Jorge Yamamoto (WeD Peru) has been invited to speak at the International Summit of Positive Psychology 2005 to be held in Washington DC, from September 29 to October 1, 2005 This is one of the most important events in this field. The invitation, by Ed Diener, was made after learning about the Peru QoL (Quality of Life) methodology. It could be considered an indicator of the interest in the originality of the Peru WeD QoL work. It was also a significant opportunity to show to the academic world WeD findings and perspectives for research and its applications for sustainable development.

24 January 05 Words into Action in 2005 seminar hosted by DFID and UNDP was attended by Ian Gough and Geof Wood (WeD Bath). Development finance, debt and trade issues were examined and the focus set on the challenges and opportunities for action that the Millennium Review Summit, and other events this year, will need to address. Gordon Brown delivered a powerful address emphasising 'one moral world' and the responsibilities of the rich countries. He highlighted the importance of education and health policies and promised further
increases in aid from OECD countries. Hilary Benn welcomed the new involvement of finance ministers from the developed and the developing world. There was also a general emphasis upon children, embodied in 'education'. Not just a quick solution for the present but by long term investment.

17-21 January 2005 Joe Devine (WeD Bath) attended an international conference organised by Cornell/SEWA/EDP/WIEGO on 'Membership Based Organizations of the Poor:Theory, Experience and Policy' in Ahmedabad, India. He presented a paper at the conference entitled 'Change and the everyday politics of community based organisations'. The papers from the conference will be published hopefully in 2005.

17 January 05 James Copestake (WeD Bath) presented the paper "Researching the links between economic development and wellbeing: A view of the Andes" at a seminar for the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading

12-14 January 2005 Joe Devine (WeD Bath) participated in a workshop that led to the development of a research proposal entitled "Taking faiths seriously: understanding the relationships between values and beliefs, societies, states and development". The Research Group is led by the University of Birmingham (UK) and Joe's participation attempted to link this research with WeD.

10 January 05 Geof Wood and Julie Newton (WeD Bath) took part in the ODI series of lunchtime meetings on “Human rights and Poverty Reduction: Realities, controversies and strategies” “Human rights and the Millennium Development Goals: contradictory frameworks?” Key speakers were Robert Archer (International Council on Human Rights Policy) and Simon Maxwell (ODI). See web site http://www.odi.org.uk/speeches/rights2005/index.html

December 04 Article in the publication Global Social Policy Forum entitled Global Social Policy by Ian Gough and Allister McGregor
Global Social Policy, December 2004, vol. 4, iss. 3, pp. 275-276(2) If you are unable to view this document please contact Jane French (j.french@bath.ac.uk) for a .pdf or print copy.

24 November 2004 Allister McGregor (WeD director) attended a conference 'Towards 2005 - does the Media Matter in the Fight against Global Poverty?, at the Lewis Media Centre, London. The conference was jointly organised by BBC World Service Trust and the UK Department for International Development (DFID). Keynote speakers were Chancellor Gordon Brown and Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for International Development BBC press release

10-14 November 2004, Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) attended the International Society for Quality of Life Studies: Advancing quality of life in a turbulent world Philadelphia, USA
Laura presented the paper ‘Living well or living badly: Do national and local experts agree?’ and chaired a round table on QoL in South Africa & participated in the planning meetings for ISQOLS 2006 (Grahamstown, S. Africa) and the ISQOLS Encyclopaedia project ISQOLS is the main organisation for Quality of life research within the social science and, like WeD, brings together perspectives from a number of disciplines. Its members will be a key audience for WeD work and the conference offers opportunities to share ideas and data and recruit new collaborators. Sessions of particular interest to WeD included QoL in Africa (participating), Asia and Latin America, Spirituality and QoL, QoL and development, and Cross-cultural QoL measurement.

6 November 2004 Development Studies Association Annual Conference. Bridging Research and Policy. This was attended four members of WeD. Several sessions were of direct relevance to WeD, particularly the plenaries on linking research to policy, and parallel sessions on social protection and livelihoods. Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) attended the workshops on the ‘big’ policy questions of poverty reduction, the future of participatory methods, and the nature of development studies were of particular interest; as was the pithy summary by Matthew Taylor of the 5 golden rules of engaging with policy makers (Win the argument about the nature of poverty before you debate the solutions; Political context is vitally important; Have the right combination of persistence & opportunism; Translating good research into policy is only a 1/3 of the way to getting it implemented; and Always be strategic).
For more information see the DSA web site http://www.devstud.org.uk/conference.htm

5 November 2004 Laura Camfield (WeD Bath) attended Political Interactions, Research, Advocacy and Representation at Goldsmiths College, London. The conference addressed the limits of political engagement through research, the rights and responsibilities of ethnographers, and the relationship between activism and ethnography in contexts as diverse as the UK sex industry and monastic life in Athos. It emphasised the importance of critical thinking, reflective engagement, active listening, ethical awareness (including awareness of power dynamics and one’s ‘positionality’), and the need to move towards ‘open ethnography’ without relinquishing ultimate responsibility

16-19 October 2004 WeD Postgraduate Faith Martin attended the 11th Annual Conference of the International Society for Quality of Life Research "Harmonizing International Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) Research" in Hong Kong. This conference concentrated on the challenges of measuring quality of life across different cultures and was therefore highly relevant to WeD. The different conceptualisations of quality of life that underlie different measures were discussed, as were the difficulties of using scales across culture and language groups. More info. For conference details see the web site at http://www.isoqol.org/2004conf.htm

5 October 2004 Ian Gough attended a workshop held in H.M. Treasury on Redefining Prosperity: Delivering Well-Being. It brought together academics, think-tankers and policy advisors and was concerned with the policy implications of including ‘promoting well-being’ as a policy goal for the British government. Workshop report

October 04 Sarah White and Jethro Pettit's article on 'Participatory methods and the measurement of well-being' in the IIED publication 'Participatory learning and action' October 2004
www.iied.org/sarl/pla_notes/index.html


September 2004 - The Annual Report for WeD October 2002 – December 2003 -
ESRC feedback from this report described it as 'Exemplary' and 'presented interesting highlights which can be quoted as good examples of the return being achieved for the public funding of social science'

2-5 September 2004 - Well-being: anthropological perspectives symposium, University of Manchester. This was attended by several members of WeD and a paper presented on 'Cultures and the construction of well-being.' by Allister McGregor. It gave an opportunity to understand how anthropologists are currently thinking about well-being and also to discuss with them some aspects of WeD work.

5th July 2004 - Commission for Africa Pip Bevan (WeD Bath) attended a meeting at LSE, London, to advise Tony Blair's Commission for Africa. It was attended by a number of prominent academics from a variety of disciplines (see program and attendance list) as well as Sir Bob Geldof. Sir Bob is not only a member of the Commission but is also liasing with the other Commissions for Africa which are active in each of the G8 countries. See www.commisssionforafrica.org

July 2004 - Insecurity and Welfare Regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America: Social Policy in Development Contexts by Ian Gough (WeD Bath), Geof Wood (WeD Bath), Armando Barrientos, Philippa Bevan (WeD Bath), Peter Davis (WeD Bath), Graham Room. This book published in February 2004 is already receiving high praise from leading scholars.
"This is the book that social policy scholars have been awaiting a very long time. Thanks to Ian Gough, Geof Wood and their collaborators, we now have a rigorous, comprehensive, and extraordinarily nuanced and subtle analysis of social protection systems in the Third World. The scholarly challenge is truly formidable, and they have met it with courage and aplomb. Insecurity and Welfare Regimes in Asia, Africa and Latin America is one of those rare books that no welfare state scholar or practicioner can ignore." Gosta Esping-Andersen
(See Cambridge Press)

2-4th July 2004 WeD/WIDER International workshop on 'Researching Well-being in Developing Countries' at the Hanse Institute for Advanced Study in Delmenhorst near Bremen, Germany. More details

June 2004 The 2nd International Conference on the Ethiopian Economy was held in Addis Ababa. WeD presented three papers. P. Bevan 'Conceptions and Responses to Child Malnutrition, Illness and Death in 20 Ethiopian Rural Villages'; A. Pankhurst on 'Conceptions and Responses to the HIV-AIDS Crisis in 20 Villages from the Wellbeing and Illbeing Dynamics in Ethiopia (WIDE) Project'; D. Getachew on ''Peasant reflection on the Agricultural Development Led Industrialization (ADLI)'.

March/April 2004 Peru Support Group - Update. Article on 'Ways of thinking about Poverty in Peru'.
View .pdf

3 March 2004 - Release of WeD Briefing No1: Coping With Hunger and Poverty in Ethiopia (.pdf version). For hard copy please contact wed@bath.ac.uk

3 March 2004 - Parliamentary Launch of WeD. Professor Ian Diamond, Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council, introduced the research group. There was an address by Dr Ian Gibson MP, Chair of the Science & Technology Select Committee, currently reviewing ‘The use of Science in UK International Development Policy’. The Launch was attended by selected Members of Parliament and peers with identified interests in poverty, inequality and quality of life. Senior officers of DFID, The Treasury, NGO representatives and the media were amongst those who attended. Reports and photographs

20th February 2004 - The Faculty of Humanites and Social Sciences (University of Bath) presented an Occasional Research Seminar entitled
Wellbeing in Developing Countries (WeD) Research Group
Does More Development Mean Better Quality of Life?
The aim of the seminar was to discuss the in-progress work of the research group and to explore possible links and research synergies across the Faculty.

December 2003 - The WeD team in Ethiopia launched their own website www.wed-ethiopia.org

December 2003 - Social Impact Indicators in Microfinance.
In December, James Copestake (WeD Bath) presented a paper at a conference (see below) on "enterprise development impact assessment" at the University of Manchester. Shortly after he spent a week in Washington D.C. meeting with staff from a range of donors and microfinance organisations (including the World Bank, IADB, USAID, Plan, Grameen Foundation, FINCA International, DAI and SEEP).
Copestake, J G (2003) "Simple standards or burgeoning
benchmarks? Institutionalising social performance monitoring,
assessment and auditing of microfinance" IDS Bulletin, Vol.34,
No.4:54-65.

13-15 November 2003 Ian Gough attended the first meeting of ESPANet, the Network for European Social Policy Analysis, in Copenhagen. A highlight was the closing address by Gosta Esping-Andersen on 'The Welfare State as Social Investment'. More details.

2-5 October 2003 Second International Positive Psychology Summit (Washington DC USA) attended by more than 200 international researchers. Suzy Skevington (WeD Bath) was invited to present a paper on behalf of the WeD Group entitled 'Subjective well-being and quality of life in poverty: exploring a model for international research in developing countries'. The meeting was hosted by the Gallup Organisation.

1 October 2003 Laura Camfield (Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Psychology) and Ashebir Dessalegn (Doctoral Student, Psychology) facilitated a workshop in Addis Ababa on the important aspects of 'quality of life' in Ethiopia. This was part of the process of producing a development-related measure of subjective quality of life. The workshop generated a ranking of the top five aspects for Ethiopia which were (in order of importance)
- Food security
- Shelter/safety/security/peace
- Health care
- Positive social interaction
- Land ownership.

20-24 September 2003 EURESCO Conference on Institutions and Inequality, Helsinki One of a series of high-level scientific conferences supported by the European Commission and the European Science Foundation. Ian Gough (WeD Bath) presented the final plenary lecture on 'Welfare regimes in development contexts: a global and regional analysis'.

20 - 26 September 2003 WeD Workshop in BangladeshWeD Group members from Bath attended discussions on the grounding and piloting phase of research. This is the last of four preliminary meetings to take place in each of the collaborating countries.

10-12 September 2003 DSA Conference Two sessions at this years Conference were dedicated to the presentation of papers by WeD Group members from Bath.

9 - 20 July 2003 Peru Workshop WeD Group members attended from Bath, also visiting sites for further study by the research group.

16 - 18 June 2003 Thailand Workshop. This was attended by members of the WeD Group from Bath, who also visited some of the locations under study.

30-31 May 2003 WIDER International Conference on 'Inequality, Poverty and Well-Being' Helsinki, Finland This was attended by Ian Gough, who was able to introduce the WeD Research Group programme.

March 2003 The Edge (ESRC) Research Article 'Routes out of Poverty - Understanding why the world's poor stay poor'


The Edge - March 2003 View .pdf

February/March 2003 WeD International Workshop, Ethiopia

January 2003 Collaborators Workshop held at Bath.

January 2003 Advisory Group Meeting

1 October 2002 The WeD Research Group started its activities at the University of Bath. This followed a successful bid for funding to the ESRC made by the CDS (Centre for Development Studies) at Bath.

Press Releases

See below for past Newsletters

November 05
(Vol3 No2)

html version
.pdf version

April 05
(Vol 3 No1)

Newsletter
html version
.pdf version

November 2004
(Vol2 No2)
Newsletter

html version
.pdf version


April 2004
(Vol2 No1)
Newsletter

html version
pdf version

September 2003 Newsletter

February 2003 Newsletter

(For Adobe Acrobat Reader for .pdf files, download from www.adobe.com)

WeD WORKING PAPERS

WeD working papers available on-line

 

 


Collaborators Workshop

The first meeting of all those involved, including the collaborators, took place at the University on the 13th to the 17th January 2003. This inaugural meeting established a degree of common understanding and agreement amongst the whole research group over the conceptual and methodological core of the research programme.

Workshop Report

Papers Presented at Workshop

 

January 2003 Workshop at Bath
Participants at the January 2003 Workshop at Bath
(Click image to enlarge)

 

Advisory Group Meeting

Also a meeting of the advisors to the group took place in Bath at the end of January 2003. Discussion took place concerning the Inaugural Workshop and the progression of the project. Advice was also given on user connections and ethical considerations.

Photo 1
Photo 2
Photo 3
 

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