ISQOLS News

ISQOLS Partnership Feature in World Happiness Report 2026

Jill Johnson — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:18:03 GMT

World Happiness Report 2026

In North America and Western Europe, young people are much less happy than 15 years ago. Over the same period, social media use has greatly increased. Many people blame social media for this fall in happiness, but does this hypothesis stand the test of rigorous scientific analysis?

Explore the key findings from World Happiness Report 2026

International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) Partnership

Feature in World Happiness Report 2026

We are pleased to share that an ISQOLS-partnered chapter is featured in the World Happiness Report 2026, titled “Social Media and Wellbeing in the Middle East and North Africa.”

The chapter is authored by ISQOLS members and leaders, Martijn Burger (Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation, Erasmus University Rotterdam; Open University of the Netherlands; University of Johannesburg), Talita Greyling (University of Johannesburg), Stephanie Rossouw (Auckland University of Technology), Francesco Sarracino (STATEC Research), and Fengyu Wu (STATEC Research).

This contribution examines the relationship between social media use and wellbeing across the MENA region.

Read More

Each year, the World Happiness Report brings together wellbeing data from over 140 countries with insights from leading researchers across disciplines.

The 2026 edition focuses on the relationship between social media and wellbeing, contributing to an important and timely global conversation.

Explore World Happiness Report 2026

Happiness and social media

Heavy social media use appears to be contributing to the drop in wellbeing among young people in English-speaking countries and Western Europe, especially among girls.

Youth wellbeing on the rise (but not everywhere)

Life evaluations among under-25s in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand have dropped dramatically (by almost one point on a 0-10 scale) over the past decade, while the average for the young in the rest of the world has increased.

Heavy social media use

One international survey of 15-year-olds in nearly 50 countries suggests heavy social media use is associated, on average, with a significant drop in wellbeing among the students surveyed, though any effect is highly dependent on the type of social media platform being used, how it is used, as well as demographic factors such as gender and socio-economic status.

Light social media use

Young people who use social media for less than one hour per day report the highest levels of wellbeing – higher than those who do not use social media at all. But adolescents are, by one estimate, spending an average of 2.5 hours a day on social media.

Social connection and belonging

Other factors, such as social connections and a sense of belonging, are associated with much bigger changes in how respondents feel about their lives.

The World Happiness Report is a publication of the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford in partnership with Gallup, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the WHR’s Editorial Board.

Home | The World Happiness Report

Gathering in Challenging Times: Why ISQOLS 2026 in the U.S. Matters

Jill Johnson — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 19:01:51 GMT

Gathering in Challenging Times: Why ISQOLS 2026 in the U.S. Matters

As an American who has lived in Germany for the past 26 years, I often look back to the states with both, appreciation for having been born and raised there and also, reminded that we are never exempt from challenging times. While in Europe, I truly have had the opportunity to experience various cultures, societal systems and mindsets about well-being. Additionally, I have learned that all countries go through periods of difficulty. The U.S. is currently experiencing many dimensions of complex social and political issues; like many countries around the globe.

It is precisely at this moment when researchers, educators, and practitioners interested in quality of life have an increased responsibility to fulfill their respective roles. This is why the 24th Annual Conference of International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) - held August 11 - 14, 2026 in Lexington, Kentucky - is so significant.

An “academic conference”, yes, but also much more. This is a chance for people from different nations, education, disciplines, and life experiences to gather in the same room, share their work, listen and respond to each other - while reflecting together of a better future. When scholars of happiness, well-being, equity, and social progress gather, ideas spark, collaborations ignite, and new ideas take flame. There is an exchange of purpose that leads to collaboration and ultimately to the development of solutions. Given the division of the world today, this type of interaction fosters hope and mutual understanding.

Lexington, Kentucky is in the heart of the Bluegrass Region and offers a hospitable environment for productive and solution oriented discussions. The talks and ideas that will be shared and friendships that will be established will, I believe, eventually impact policies, communities and institutions. In this way, the gathering in Lexington has the possibility of affecting not only academic discourse but also the daily lives of people in the U.S. and around the world. I truly think and hope that together, we can help move folks from around the world in the direction of a compassionate, kinder and more evidence-based society.

Let’s all hold on to the vision of what John Lennon said, "Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end".

Randall Birnberg

ISQOLS and Francesco Sarracino Receive Knowledge Award

Jill Johnson — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 20:42:06 GMT

ISQOLS and Francesco Sarracino Receive Knowledge Award

We are pleased to share that ISQOLS, together with Board Member Francesco Sarracino, has been awarded the Knowledge Award by the Quality of Life Initiative (UN-Habitat).

The Knowledge Award recognizes academic partners whose research and contributions have provided key insights and a strong conceptual foundation for the Quality of Life Initiative, supported by evidence from case studies. Francesco Sarracino’s contribution, including his Global Urban Lecture, was highlighted as standing out during the Initiative’s first cycle.

The award was celebrated during the Virtual Celebration of the Quality of Life Initiative and its partners, held on Monday, 8 December 2025. The event also marked an important milestone for the Initiative, with the presentation of key results, reflections on lessons learned, and the launch of the Pilot Cities Report, bringing together evidence, lived experience, and examples from across the global network to better understand and improve urban quality of life.

Watch the event recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88oXu6hKldg

We warmly congratulate Francesco and thank the Quality of Life Initiative and UN-Habitat for this recognition of ISQOLS’ ongoing contribution to advancing knowledge on quality of life worldwide.

Happiness in the Marketplace: A Study of Consumption, Consumers and Wellbeing.

Jill Johnson — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 16:19:46 GMT

A new book has been published about consumer well-being. The book's title is Happiness in the Marketplace: A Study of Consumption, Consumers and Wellbeing. The authors are Dong-Jin Lee and M. Joseph Sirgy. The book is published by Springer (Social Indicators Research Book Series).

This book provides a systematic review and analysis of the literature on product-related, situational, organizational, and cultural factors influencing people’s happiness in the marketplace. The authors, senior experts in the field, make specific recommendations to design and implement consumer wellbeing strategies. These recommendations are for marketing executives to maximize their effectiveness and help consumers achieve optimal levels of happiness (overall happiness, consumer happiness, and consumption happiness), which in turn could enhance organizational return on investment through customer loyalty, repeat patronage, sales, and profit. The book reviews and integrates learnings from the research on happiness in several fields of study, namely, quality-of-life studies, marketing, consumer studies, social psychology, and behavioral economics, and is of interest to marketing executives and academics from various fields working on consumers and consumer wellbeing.

To learn more about the book, click on this link: Happiness in the Marketplace: A Study of Consumption, Consumers and Wellbeing | SpringerLink

Happy 90th Birthday, Alex Michalos!

Jill Johnson — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 05:34:04 GMT

Happy 90th Birthday, Alex Michalos!

Dear Alex,

We celebrate your remarkable life and legacy as a true pioneer of quality-of-life and social indicators research. From laying the foundations of ISQOLS to inspiring generations through your scholarship and leadership, your impact is immeasurable. With gratitude and admiration, we raise a glass to your health, happiness, and enduring influence.

We also invite our members to read the special tribute letters from Wolfgang Glatzer and Valerie Møller, which beautifully capture your extraordinary contributions and friendship.

Alex Michalos tribute 90 years - Wolfgang Glatzer.

Dear Alex happy birthday from Valerie Moller

Watch the recent interview with Alex on our ISQOLS Youtube Channel here.

Learn more about Alex Michalos' contributions to the field of quality-of-life research.

“Well-being in Asia” Special Issue Published, Inspired by the ISQOLS 2024 conference in Borneo

Jill Johnson — Thu, 21 Aug 2025 03:50:29 GMT

“Well-being in Asia” Special Issue Published!

Inspired by the ISQOLS 2024 conference in Borneo and edited by Martijn Burger and Nicholas Tze Ping Pang, this collection highlights the shift from Western models toward more Asia-affirmative perspectives on happiness and well-being, emphasizing relational harmony, tranquility, and collective flourishing.

Read the editorial and explore the full issue: Frontiers in Psychology, Vol. 16 (2025)

ISQOLS Member article, "Does the Perceived Quality of Social Services Affect Citizens' Well-Being? " Prof. Lihi Lahat and Dr. Chen Sharony*

Jill Johnson — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 02:41:31 GMT

Does the Perceived Quality of Social Services Affect Citizens' Well-Being?
Prof. Lihi Lahat and Dr. Chen Sharony*

The core goal of the welfare state and its social services is to improve the well-being of its citizens. However, the connection between how people perceive the quality of social services and their subjective well-being has been largely underexplored.

A new study conducted by Prof. Lihi Lahat, Dr. Chen Sharony, Guy Van-Dam, and Prof. Nir Sharon—based on a collaboration between scholars in social policy and applied mathematics—sheds light on the relationship between citizens’ perceptions of social service quality and their sense of well-being.

The study employed a multi-level analysis of data from the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS), covering 28 countries. It examined how public perceptions of the quality of services such as healthcare, education, childcare, public housing, and pensions influence individual well-being.

The findings suggest that the more positively people perceive the quality of social services, the higher their reported level of well-being. Interestingly, the reverse relationship was also significant: people with higher subjective well-being are more likely to perceive social services as higher in quality. However, the impact of service quality on well-being is more substantial than the reverse.

The study also found that education and childcare are the most influential services in shaping well-being. Additionally, a country's welfare regime (e.g., social-democratic vs. liberal) affects both perceptions of service quality and perceptions of well-being. Citizens in social-democratic countries reported higher levels in both dimensions.

A unique insight, enabled by an advanced mathematical tool called Diffusion Maps, revealed that individuals with lower levels of well-being tend to have more homogeneous perceptions of social service quality. In contrast, those with higher well-being have more heterogeneous views.

These findings carry significant implications for policymakers. Services that involve direct and daily interaction with citizens, such as education and childcare, have a substantial impact on well-being. Thus, while other services are undoubtedly essential, public investment in these areas may play a crucial role in shaping perceptions of well-being.

The distinction between homogeneous and heterogeneous perceptions of service quality across groups with varying levels of well-being also raises important questions about how public perceptions of the quality of social services should be assessed. This insight may also have implications for the design and delivery of services.

To read the full article (open access):
Lahat, L., Sharony, C., Van-Dam, G., & Sharon, N. (2025). The Relationship Between Perceptions of Social Service Quality and Subjective Well‐Being, Social Policy & Administration.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/spol.13141

Authors
Prof. Lihi Lahat – Department of Public Policy and Administration, Sapir Academic College; Affiliated Professor, Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, Department of Political Science, Concordia University, Montreal.
Dr. Chen Sharony – Department of Public Policy and Administration, Sapir Academic College; Department of Public Policy and Management, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; School of Social Work and Department of Management, Jerusalem Multidisciplinary Center.
Guy Van-Dam – Department of Applied Mathematics, Tel Aviv University.
Prof. Nir Sharon – Department of Applied Mathematics, Tel Aviv University.

* A Hebrew version of this post will be published in ESPANet Israel posts.

ISQOLS Member Reflections: Insights from Mexico and Costa Rica ISQOLS members on the 2025 World Happiness Report

Jill Johnson — Fri, 23 May 2025 22:07:51 GMT

ISQOLS Member Reflections: Insights from ISQOLS members from Mexico and Costa Rica on the 2025 World Happiness Report

For the first time, Costa Rica and Mexico have ranked among the top 10 happiest countries in the 2025 World Happiness Report. In this special edition of our ISQOLS Member Reflections series, scholars from the region explore how cultural warmth, social programs, and a people-first mindset are driving well-being—offering powerful insights that challenge traditional views of progress. Read their full reflections here.

ISQOLS Member Reflections: Insights from Finland on the 2025 World Happiness Report

Jill Johnson — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 21:08:28 GMT

New Blog Series: ISQOLS Member Reflections

Finland tops the 2025 World Happiness Report once again — but what does this mean beyond the numbers? In our new blog series, ISQOLS Member Reflections, Finnish researchers share personal insights on happiness, culture, and community. Read their full reflections here.

Congratulations to our 2025 Best Dissertation Award Recipients!

Jill Johnson — Thu, 24 Apr 2025 16:55:43 GMT

Congratulations to our 2025 Best Dissertation Award Recipients:

1st prize: Stephanie Heß, Family Matters A Multisystem Investigation of Children's Subjective Well-being

2nd prize: Athanasios (Thanasis) Ziogas, No human is an island: essays on the economic geography of happiness

3rd prize: Karl Overdick, Essays on Subjective Wellbeing and Behaviour

Learn more:

https://isqols.org/dissertationaward

ISQOLS Sponsored event, "IAMO FORUM 2025: Submit your contribution until 9 February"

Jill Johnson — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 17:25:57 GMT

IAMO FORUM 2025: Submit your contribution until 9 February 2025

Dear colleagues and friends,

We warmly invite you to participate in the IAMO Forum 2025 "Rural Roots and Routes: Navigating Complexities of Quality of Life, Immobility, and Migration" which will take place from June 18 to 20, 2025 in Halle (Saale), Germany.

The conference is organized as part of the Leibniz Best Minds Project RuWell and co-organized by the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) and the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB).

The interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary IAMO Forum provides a unique platform for exchanging novel insights, rigorous research, and practical solutions that address the complex relationships between quality of life, migration, and immobility.

The Forum welcomes contributions on the following topics:

Quality of life and well-being in rural areas
The role of place attachment and other factors in decisions on migration and immobility
Migration in times of climate change and other crises: motives, drivers, and implications
The role of politics in (im)mobility decisions
Innovative theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding quality of life, migration, and immobility in rural areas

Submit your extended abstract for oral/poster presentations or organized sessions to www.conftool.org/iamo2025/ by 9 February 2025. We particularly encourage submissions with a geographical focus on Europe, Central Asia, and China.

More information about the IAMO Forum 2025 and a call for papers can be found at www.iamo.de/forum/2025. Please feel free to forward this information to any interested parties.

Kind regards,

IAMO Forum 2025 Organizing Committee

Mailing_Call for Submissions_ISQOLS.pdf

In Memoriam: Richard A. Easterlin (January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2024)

Jill Johnson — Thu, 19 Dec 2024 21:44:51 GMT

In Memoriam: Richard A. Easterlin (January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2024)

The International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) joins the global academic community in mourning the passing of Richard A. Easterlin, a pioneering scholar whose profound contributions have forever shaped our understanding of happiness, well-being, and the human condition.

Richard Easterlin, University Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Southern California, was a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a Distinguished Fellow of the American Economic Association. A celebrated economist and thought leader, Easterlin’s groundbreaking research included the "Easterlin Paradox," which revealed that while income and happiness are positively related in the short run, long-term economic growth does not necessarily lead to greater happiness. This work has become foundational in the study of subjective well-being and continues to inspire scholars and policymakers worldwide.

Easterlin’s influence extended far beyond his research. A recipient of ISQOLS’ Distinguished QOL Researcher Award in 2006, his contributions enriched the field of quality-of-life studies and advanced its global reach. In 2021, we had the honor of hosting him for a webinar titled "Explaining Happiness and Income in the Short and Long Run: A Lesson on Happiness."During this event, he shared insights from his 2021 book, An Economist’s Lessons on Happiness: Farewell, Dismal Science!, offering a masterful exploration of the interplay between economic growth, social comparison, and human happiness.

Throughout his illustrious career, Easterlin served as a mentor, a leader, and a visionary. From his early days as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania to his tenure at the University of Southern California, he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and advancing knowledge. He held esteemed roles, including presidencies of the Population Association of America and the Western Economic Association International, and his contributions earned him recognition as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, and the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).

Richard Easterlin’s legacy is one of intellectual curiosity, humility, and a steadfast dedication to understanding the factors that contribute to human flourishing. His work continues to influence fields as diverse as economics, sociology, psychology, and public policy, and his contributions will resonate for generations to come.

As we remember and celebrate his life, ISQOLS extends its deepest condolences to his family, colleagues, and all who were inspired by his work. We are honored to have been part of his journey and will strive to carry forward his mission to improve the quality of life worldwide.

Sincerely,
The International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS)

In Memory: ISQOLS Pioneer, Ruut Veenhoven 1942-2024

Jill Johnson — Sun, 15 Dec 2024 04:53:23 GMT

All of us at ISQOLS deeply mourn the loss of Prof. Dr. Ruut Veenhoven, one of our founding and most influential members, who passed away on December 9, 2024. Ruut has been one of the earliest members of ISQOLS and worked as emeritus professor at the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation, Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Ruut was not only one of the ‘godfathers’ of the scientific study of happiness and inspiration for many researchers, but also a great colleague and friend to many of us. We shall miss him dearly, but his contributions and spirit will forever resonate within the happiness community and beyond.

To remember and honor Ruut, we provide an overview of his life and work below.

On behalf of the ISQOLS Board,

Martijn Burger (ISQOLS President) and Jill Johnson (ISQOLS Executive Director)

Obituary Ruut Veenhoven (1942-2024) by Ad Bergsma

Ruut Veenhoven was one of the godfathers of the scientific study of happiness, a founding editor of the Journal of Happiness Studies and the driving force behind the World Database of Happiness.

Veenhoven was born during the Second World War in 1942 in The Hague in The Netherlands. During the sixties, he studied sociology and never stopped working on the liberation and emancipation of individuals. After formal retirement, he kept working in his room at the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization. On the wall he kept a picture of his younger self, with the long hair and shaggy beard that was common for the counterculture of the sixties. Between 1970 and 1990 he was a leading advocate in promoting the acceptance of voluntary childlessness and abortion law reform in The Netherlands.

In his PhD study Veenhoven (1984) concentrated on the conditions of happiness. His life's work was the World Database of Happiness, in which he and a team of volunteers and coworkers brought together some 50,000 standardized descriptions of empirical findings on happiness as subjective appreciation of life. When his physicians told Veenhoven he lived in spare time, he asked me to mention in his obituary that some institution could still adopt the WDH. If not, his work was not in vain. Volunteers will finish the work on World Database of Happiness by entering another 1,500 studies. The WDH will be complete for studies published before 2021 and will remain publicly available.

The database provides empirical ground for Jeremy Bentham's moral theory that societies should aim for the 'greatest happiness for the greatest number'. Veenhoven’s underlying idea was that societies can raise happiness when we know in what circumstances it occurs. To paraphrase the American Declaration of Independence, Veenhoven facilitated the informed pursuit of happiness.

Scientifically, Veenhoven will be remembered for several, often quoted insights. The most consequential is perhaps that countries differ widely in average happiness of citizens and that it is possible to predict 80 percent of the variance. People are generally happy in countries in which basic human needs are fulfilled and that are characterized by:

technically good governance that makes life predictable and facilitates informed choice of citizens
economic growth
gender equality
security (freedom of crime and corruption),
individual freedom
investment in care (mental health care specifically), and
modernity.

As Veenhoven himself recently remarked: ‘Prophets of doom associate modernization with increasing misery, but the data show a positive correlation with happiness. We now live longer and happier than ever before in human history and both longevity and happiness are still on the rise.’

Veenhoven did not escape a downside of a long life. He spent his last years in ill health but kept working and enjoying life. ‘The thought that my death is imminent, gives me peace of mind, much to my own surprise.’ One anecdote sums up what he was like. I once phoned in on him when he was stuck on a train platform, because the elevator was out of order and he no longer had the strength to climb the stairs. Veenhoven did not complain, but cheerfully described how much he appreciated public transport in The Netherlands and the excellent health care he received. As one of his PhD students and associate Jan Ott opined: ‘Ruut was able to be stoic in the face of setbacks, without sliding into indifference.’

Veenhoven also had an opportunistic streak. When he was diagnosed in 2019 with the disease that would end his life in 2024, he used this news to get some extra money to finish a paper on the effectiveness of happiness trainings. When I told him he surprised me, he would simply say that ‘you have to make hay when the sun shines’. Doing just happened to be his mission and one of his favorite pastimes.

Veenhoven was married to Kiki Dijkstra and was father of two daughters and a son. The days he could spend with his grandchildren were sacred to him. Veenhoven was a scientist with a vibrant enjoyment of life who never missed an opportunity to poke fun at himself and other dwellers of academia. We will miss him.

Dr. Ad Bergsma is a psychologist and science journalist. Ruut Veenhoven supervised his 2011 PhD dissertation ‘Imperfectly Happy’ and they continued cooperation until today, such as on the effects of happiness training.

In Memoriam: Ruut Veenhoven

The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) mourns the loss of Ruut Veenhoven, a pioneering scholar whose life's work shaped the fields of happiness, well-being, and quality-of-life research. As a founding board member of ISQOLS in 1995 and the architect of the World Database of Happiness, Ruut devoted his career to unraveling the complexities of happiness through empirical rigor and innovative methods.

Ruut’s journey into happiness research began during his sociology studies in the 1960s. His early experiences with political movements, personal reflection, and academic curiosity spurred his lifelong commitment to understanding happiness as a measurable and actionable concept. His seminal contributions include the influential publications Conditions of Happiness (1984), Happiness in Nations (1993), and The Four Qualities of Life (2000). Beyond these works, his tireless efforts as the director of the World Database of Happiness created an unparalleled resource for researchers, housing over 50,000 findings on life satisfaction.

Ruut believed that happiness was not just a fleeting state but a tangible outcome influenced by social conditions, informed choices, and individual life-ability. His work consistently challenged philosophical speculations about happiness, demonstrating through data that greater happiness is both possible and achievable. As he eloquently put it, “Happiness requires a livable environment, but it also depends on life-ability: the ability to find a way of life that fits you.”

His dedication to advancing the science of happiness extended beyond research. Through his leadership roles at Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization (EHERO), and North-West University in South Africa, he mentored countless scholars and inspired interdisciplinary collaboration worldwide.

Carrying Forward Ruut’s Legacy

Ruut left detailed instructions for the continuation of the World Database of Happiness, emphasizing its importance as a resource for future generations of scholars. The database, now preserved in the library of Erasmus University Rotterdam, will remain publicly available. Ruut’s wish was for the archive to grow and adapt, enabling new research and discoveries. Scholars and institutions can build upon his work through:

Continuing the Database as a Whole: Institutions can collaborate to maintain and expand the archive.
Prolonging Specific Parts: Scholars may use the findings archive as a foundation for targeted projects.

Detailed guidelines for building on the database can be found here.

We urge members of the ISQOLS community and researchers worldwide to honor Ruut’s legacy by supporting and contributing to the preservation and advancement of the World Database of Happiness. Whether through funding, collaboration, or sharing expertise, there are many ways to ensure this invaluable resource continues to thrive.

For those interested in partnering with ISQOLS to support the World Database of Happiness, please contact Jill@isqols.org. Together, we can uphold Ruut’s vision of advancing happiness research for the betterment of societies worldwide.

A Life Well-Lived, A Legacy Everlasting

Ruut often said that his happiness research brought meaning and joy to his own life. As he reflected in his later years, “Doing research keeps me sharp, involves daily contacts with colleagues and students, and it gives me a sense of meaning. I lead a life that fits me.”

His life’s work has touched countless lives, and his influence will endure through the scholarship he inspired and the tools he created. We extend our deepest condolences to his family, colleagues, and the entire quality-of-life research community as we celebrate the extraordinary life and legacy of Ruut Veenhoven.

May we continue his mission to create greater happiness for a greater number.

In Memory: Ruut Veenhoven

In Memoriam: Professor Takashi Inoguchi (1944–2024)

Jill Johnson — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 03:28:14 GMT

In Memoriam: Professor Takashi Inoguchi (1944–2024)

With deep sadness, the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) mourns the loss of Professor Takashi Inoguchi, an influential scholar in the fields of wellbeing, political science, and international relations. Professor Inoguchi, aged 80, and his 33-year-old daughter tragically passed away in a fire at his Tokyo condominium on the night of November 27, 2024. His impactful work and dedication to global understanding have left a lasting impression on academia and international policy discourse.

Professor Inoguchi’s academic journey began in Niigata Prefecture, where he was born in 1944. A dedicated and insightful student, he earned his doctorate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1974. His career spanned more than five decades, including appointments at esteemed institutions such as Sophia University, the University of Tokyo, Niigata University of Niigata Prefecture, and the United Nations University. His work resonated far beyond Japan, influencing scholars and policymakers across Asia, Europe, and North America.

Known for his thoughtful analyses of global politics and his pioneering studies on quality of life in East Asia, Professor Inoguchi authored over 150 books and numerous articles. Projects such as the AsiaBarometer Survey enhanced understanding of political culture and trust in Asian societies. His research shed light on the complex interplay of Western and Asian perspectives, encapsulated in his observation: “Depending on where you stand, the political scenario changes.”

Professor Inoguchi’s career was characterized by a commitment to building bridges—across regions, disciplines, and ideologies. As Senior Vice Rector at the United Nations University and through roles in the Japan Association of International Relations, UNESCO, and other global organizations, he advocated for collaborative approaches to global challenges.

Beyond his scholarly achievements, Professor Inoguchi was a respected mentor who guided countless students and colleagues. His intellectual curiosity and encouragement inspired others to approach international relations with both critical and open minds. His legacy is carried forward through the Takashi Inoguchi Endowed Track at ISQOLS, which supports research on quality of life and well-being in East Asia.

Professor Inoguchi was also a devoted family man. Together with his wife, Senator Kuniko Inoguchi—a distinguished academic and political leader—he formed a partnership built on shared values and mutual respect. His passing alongside one of his daughters adds immeasurable sorrow to an already profound loss.

As we reflect on Professor Inoguchi’s life, we honor his dedication to advancing knowledge and fostering dialogue to address the challenges of our time. While he will be greatly missed, his contributions to academia and the global community will continue to inspire.

Nov 5, program of events organized under the Quality of Life Initiative framework at the World Urban Forum 12 in Cairo.

Jill Johnson — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 05:59:47 GMT

Announcing the program of events organized under the Quality of Life Initiative framework at the World Urban Forum 12 in Cairo.

We are pleased to have a number of very interesting discussions under preparation, from a Training session on quality of life measures led by the ISQOLS, to a Special Session on health and quality of life, a high level networking event led by the Quality of Life Program, a One UN event on Innovation led by UN Global Pulse and a One UN event that will dive into the regional dimensions of quality of life under the leadership of ESCWA and Regional Commissions.

Finally, we will close this exciting week with a Voices from Cities event led by the City of Vancouver, where you will hear thorough feedback from the five cities that have pioneered the Quality of Life methodology. They will tell you why they joined us on this journey and what they have learned !

Book your calendars if you haven't done yet .

These discussions will allow us to expand the conversation, share and dive a little more into the many opportunities that working on quality of life offer to achieve more impact in cities and towns.

Quality of Life at WUF12.png

Discount offer: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HAPPINESS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING

Jill Johnson — Sat, 21 Sep 2024 22:50:43 GMT

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HAPPINESS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING

Edited by Hilke Brockmann, Roger Fernandez-Urbano

This comprehensive Encyclopedia delves into the underpinnings, approaches, and recent advancements in the dynamic global landscape of happiness and wellbeing research.

AVAILABLE TO PURCHASE WITH 50% DISCOUNT FOR ISQOLS MEMBERS (PLUS POSTAGE) WITH THE DISCOUNT CODE ISQOLS50

To order visit www.e-elgar.com or email sales@e-elgar.co.uk quoting the discount codE

LEARN MORE: Brockmann Encyclopedia Flyer DISC (2).pdf

Education Grant Recipient, 2024 Conference reflection:Zewei Liu

Jill Johnson — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 04:52:59 GMT

ISQOLS 2024 Annual Conference Reflections

At the end of June, I went to Sabah, Malaysia for the annual ISQOLS conference. The journey in ISQOLS 2024 means a lot to my academic development. This was my first time to attend ISQOLS conference. It was also my first time to give oral presentation at international conference.

I really appreciate the conference committee offer me such a great opportunity to communicate with global scholars. They have considered every detail relevant to the trip and reminded me via the timely email. Knowing that I’m a PhD student in need of financial support, they generously provided me an education grant on the conference. I want to say thanks to all of you. Particularly, special thanks to the Executive Director, Jill, for reminding me the updated information and getting all the things prepared. Before the conference, I was hesitating how to handle with my trip because I would attend my first conference by myself. The conference arrangements made me feel secured.

Overall, I had a fruitful experience during the conference! The pre-conference workshop I attended provided rich information on psychosocial intervention and life coaching. Regarding the presentation, I was assigned at the Session 12D (Consumer Finance and Well-Being). The presentations at this session were all closely related to my research interests. Particularly, I had frequently read the presenters’ papers even before I notice ISQOLS 2024. The presenters’ ideas had provided me insights to my research. It is my great pleasure to have this opportunity to meet these experts and professors and share my research with them. We had a lot of discussions about our similar research interests. I also learnt a lot regarding my presentation and research from comments and suggestions put forward by presenters and the audience during my session.

Additionally, I really like a special session, Editors’ perspective! I heard that not many conferences had this session. I think this is a representation of the high quality of ISQOLS conference. I communicated with some editors, particularly Prof Xiao from the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning and Prof Yao from the Journal of Consumer Affairs. As a research student in social welfare, financial capability, and quality-of-life, I have closely followed these two journals and also the other ones, Applied Research in Quality of Life (Prof Shek), Social Indicators Research (Prof Botha), and Journal of Happiness Studies (Prof Rossouw). In this session, the editors gave us useful information regarding manuscript preparation and submission. I want to great thanks to these editors and the conference committee for arranging this session.

Finally, I think my first time with ISQOLS conference was quite good. After experiencing this trip in Malaysia, I decide to follow ISQOLS continuously. I’m looking forward to the next annual conference and other membership activities. Wishing more future connections with all of you. Thanks!

Zewei Liu

Summary of My Experience at the ISQOLS Conference as a Developing Country Fellow, Claire Biribawa

Jill Johnson — Thu, 25 Jul 2024 05:35:28 GMT

Summary of My Experience at the ISQOLS Conference as a Developing Country Fellow

Written by Claire Biribawa

On 10th April 2024, I received the awesome news of being selected as the Developing country fellow and was thrilled about this opportunity and later on being able to travel for the ISQOLS at Kota Kinabalu. Quality of life may seem straightforward to understand, but to me, it was incredibly complex and is often overlooked, especially in the context of my background. Growing up in Uganda my childhood was vibrant and usually Iilled with laughter, games, and the pure joy of being alive. Our playgrounds were the open Iields, our toys crafted from banana Iibres or whatever we could Iind.

As I grew older, the realities of life in Uganda began to reveal themselves. The carefree days of childhood slowly gave way to an awareness of the world around me. In a country where where over 20% of the population livedon less than a dollar per day talking about Quality of Life is a far thought or even a concern because most are focusing on the next meal. Like in many Sub Saharan African Countries, there are other demanding challenges like infectious diseases, maternal health and now non communicable disease and research on quality of life and well-being is not given the priority it desearves. Africa isn't exactly topping the charts on quality of life. There isa dearth of literature coming out of the continent, and reports indicate that existing research is often unfocused and uncontextualized. Researching quality of life in Sub Saharan Africa seems a far off and arguably an abstract idea, far removed from the urgent public health issues and needs we are dealing with.

But should this be??

Attending the ISQOLS 2024 conference made me realise that it should not be…and should never have been. The ISQOLS conference in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, was a profoundly enriching experience for me as a developing country fellow as it made me realize how deeply Quality of Life transcended every aspect of public health and not only that but ensuring that every person had the opportunity to live a fulIilling, digniIied life is of utmost importance. The conference provided a unique platform where I got exposure to various research Iindings on quality-of-life, wellbeing, and happiness, research methods and had the opportunity to engage with policymakers and leaders from various sectors.

In addition to the conference dinner, welcoming ceremony, and pre-conference workshops, one of the highlights of the conference was the stellar cast of keynote speakers Simon Eckermann, Andrew Clark presentation on Easterlin Paradox at 50 and Mohsen Joshanloo – Quest for Authenticity all concepts which was very new to me and opened my eyes to new values and ways of approaching QoL research.

The Elizabeth Eckermann Endowed Track on Gender and Quality of Life provided me an opportunity to understand how gender roles impact well-being. I was able to learn about successful policies, interventions and recommendations that have the potential to improve gender equality and quality of life, and although these were conducted outside Africa (Norway, India and Taiwan), they were quite relatable and could be adapted.

I could not miss out on the Valerie Moller Endowed Track for the Advancement of Quality of Life and Wellbeing in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, except for the paper which presented Iindings of work conducted in Northern Kenya, the rest of these papers presented Iindings from South Africa. Even by the attendance of this session, which comprised of mainly the speakers of the session and about three other people in the audience, the glaring lack of representation from the African continent was prominent. The unique challenges and perspectives of African countries are critical to the discourse, and their absence was a signiIicant gap in the conference.

The opportunity to meet and network with scholars from around the world, each with different methodological and theoretical perspectives, was invaluable. It reinforced the importance of generating research-based knowledge to contribute to the well-being of societies globally. A particularly memorable moment for me was a discussion with a fellow participant – Dr. Anita Mortlock who shared about her work with children and inspired me to apply some of these concepts with the work I am doing in Uganda about Children of Addicted Parents. This conversation encapsulated the spirit of the conference – a collective commitment to improving lives through knowledge and collaboration.

In conclusion, the ISQOLS conference was a transformative experience. I left the conference with renewed energy and a clearer vision for the future, committed to applying the insights gained to enhance the well-being of communities in Uganda and beyond. The experience also reinforced the importance of advocating for greater representation and inclusion of African voices in such global forums.

Claire Biribawa, ISQOLS 2024 Valerie Moller Fellow

ISQOLS Member, Dr. Dr. Fouad Hamdi Beseiso (1943-2024)

Jill Johnson — Wed, 29 May 2024 22:16:34 GMT

ISQOLS mourns the loss of member, Dr. Fouad Hamdi Beseiso (1943-2024)

Professor,

Center of Economic Future for Consultancy and Strategic Studies

Independent Senior Regional Economic Adviser and Senior Researcher on Economics, Finance and Central Banking

Jordan

Dr. Fouad Hamdi Beseiso (1943-2024)

Professor Fouad Beseiso was a distinguished former Central Bank Governor, a prominent regional economic adviser, publisher, scholar, and economic thinker specializing in International Economics, Islamic Economics, and Happiness Economics. With over 50 years of experience in Jordanian, Arab Gulf States, Palestinian, regional, and international banking, finance, and economic development, he significantly contributed to the development of many Arab economies. He was appointed as the first Governor and Founder of the Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA) in 1994, serving until 2002.

Summary of Expertise and Academic Skills & Qualifications:

Founder and owner of the Center of Economic Future for Consultancy and Strategic Studies. (2002-2024)
Professor of Economics, Banking, Business, and Finance Sciences, at several Arab universities (Apr 2002 - Sep 2012).
Chief Program Planning Officer and Senior Regional Consultant on Development Planning and Policies (1989-2003, UN ESCWA).
Secretary General & Director General, Fund for The Development of Palestinians under Occupation, Jordan (1979-4989)
Economic Expert, Sultanate of Oman Government, Oman (1973-1979).
Advisor for developmental activities and planning in the Ministry of Development, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Petroleum & Minerals, Sultanate of Oman Government, Oman (1973-1979).
Central Bank of Jordan, Division Chief "Research & Monetary Policy Department", Jordan (1968-1973).
Approved examiner by numerous international universities and scientific research institutions for doctoral and master's theses, and recognized by many scientific research organizations as a reviewer for research submitted to international journals and conferences.
Specialized in Monetary Economics, particularly Central and Development Banking.

Education:

University of Durham, Collingwood College, UK
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), International Economics (1979-1982)
Alexandria University, Faculty of Commerce
BA Degree in Economics and Political Sciences (1964-1971)
MA Degree in Economics, Development Economics, and International Development (1964-1971)

Activities and Societies:

Life Member, Center for Middle East & Islamic Studies, Durham, U.K.
Member, Arab Economic Research Association, Cairo, Egypt.
Former Chairman, Board of Directors, Palestinian Economists’ Society.
Senior Adviser, Joint Jordanian–Palestinian Business Forum.
Full Member, Middle East Studies Association of North America. U.S.A
Former Member- Arab Central banks & Monetary Authorities Council, Arab Member - Arab Monetary Fund, Abu Dhabi- UAE
Former Member-Board of Trustees, Arab Academy for Financial & Banking Sciences, Arab League, Amman- Jordan
Former Member- Board of Directors, Union of Arab Banks, Beirut- Lebanon
Member- Jordanian Economists' Society
Former Chairman, Board of Directors, Palestinian Economists’ Society

Awards & Prizes:

World's Most Respected Experts, International Directory of Experts and Expertise, American Biographical Institute, U.S.A.
Arab Banks Union Prize for Most Respected Bankers

Publications:

Towards Human Role for the Green Financial and Monetary System Addressing Climate Change Crisis (Feb. 2024)
A Strategic Ethical Vision for the Financial Regulation System for Managing Challenges and Crisis (Aug. 2021)
Towards A New Human Approach for Economics, Banking and Finance (Dec. 2017)
Islamic Economics and Happiness Economics: A Case Study on the Role of Central Banks in Approaching Human Wellbeing (Nov. 2016)
Central Banks’ Role in Shaping the Future of Islamic Banking (Aug. 2014)
The Developing Role of Islamic Banking and Finance: From Local to Global Perspective (Emerald Group Publishing, 2014)
Determinants of Economic, Financial and Banking Crisis Management (Arab Banks Union, Beirut, 2010, in Arabic)
Integrating a Sustainable Environment into Human Development: Conceptual and Practical Approach (Taylor & Francis Group, London, CRC Press, 2009)
The Israeli Economy between War and Peace (Al Galeel House for Publications, Amman, 1984)
Pragmatic Approach to Arab Gulf States Development Cooperation (Arab Unity Studies Centre, Beirut, 1984)

ARQOL: Recruitment of Associate Editors and Members of the Editorial Board

Jill Johnson — Sun, 26 May 2024 22:03:21 GMT

Recruitment of Associate Editors and Members of the Editorial Board

1.      Applied Research in Quality of Life is the official journal of ISQOLS. It is a Q1 journal in SSCI with an impact factor of 3.4 in 2022. It is also a Q1 journal in Scopus.
2.      As we have received more than 1,000+ submissions per year in recent years, we need more Associate Editors and Editorial Board members to share the editorial tasks. Also, it is a healthy development of ARQOL to have rotation in the Associate Editor(s) and Editorial Board members. Hence, I wish to recruit Associate Editor(s) and Editorial Board members with the following attributes:
a.      Associate Professor or above or senior level QOL researcher
b.      Doctoral degree in the field of QOL
c.      Good track record in publications in QOL
d.      Substantial experience in QOL research
e.      Substantial experience in reviewing papers in academic journals; experience in serving in Editorial Boards would be an advantage
f.       Enjoy reviewing journal articles in a professional manner
g.      Ready to commit in a responsible manner
3.      For Associate Editors, they are expected to invite reviewers (at least two reviewers for a paper) to review a submitted paper and make the initial editorial recommendations. The editorial recommendation will be furthered considered by the Editor-in-Chief. It is expected that an Associate Editor will handle around one paper per month.
4.      For Editorial Board members, it is expected that they will review around one paper per month.
5.      We need reviewers in the following areas:
a.      advanced statistical analyses such as structural equation modeling
b.      psychometrics
c.      meta-analyses
d.      quality of life in old age
e.      health-related quality of life
f.       qualitative QOL research
g.      longitudinal QOL research
h.      QOL in children and adolescents
6.      Instructions and training will be given to the new Associate Editors and Editorial Board members.
7.      If you are interested to join ARQOL as an Associate Editor or Editorial Board member, please send an email together with your updated CV (containing highlights of your expertise) to:
Daniel T.L. Shek, Editor-in-Chief, Applied Research in Quality of Life Research (daniel.shek@polyu.edu.hk)

Invitation to a study on Using Artificial Intelligence in Sustainability Teaching and Learning.

Jill Johnson — Tue, 14 May 2024 04:46:21 GMT

Dear Colleagues,

Invitation to a study on Using Artificial Intelligence in Sustainability Teaching and Learning.

An international research team is undertaking a study aiming at exploring the potential of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance educational outcomes, develop sustainable solutions, and prepare students for future challenges at Higher Education Institutions. For this purpose, a survey has been designed and the instrument can be seen at:

https://forms.gle/z6SK1aYbKmBMUC3g8.

We kindly invite any faculty and administrators who teach at universities/colleges across the world to participate in this survey. We look forward to your inputs. Thank you!

Best,

Eundeok

**********************************************

Eundeok Kim, Ph.D.

Professor
Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship
Florida State University
111 South Monroe Street
202 Jim Moran Building
Tallahassee, FL 32301-1110
Phone: 850-644-2789
Email: ekim@fsu.edu

Valuing What Matters in Urban Areas: A dialogue on quality of life with local government and academia

Jill Johnson — Fri, 03 May 2024 03:27:32 GMT

How has the concept of quality of life evolved over the years, and even more recently in the face of disruptive change and challenges? Can quality of life help put people back at the center of sustainable development? How can subjective experiences, priorities, and aspirations be used to inform urban interventions?

Join us for this online panel discussion, co-organized by UN-Habitat and the University of Buenos Aires, to dig into these questions and many others. We will first hear the experience of how one major metropolitan area - Buenos Aires - is working to provide a better quality of life for the individuals and communities there. A distinguished panel of academics from around the world will then have a chance to react and discuss, unpacking some of the recommendations which they have put forward in a recently released position paper for the global community.

This unique dialogue between academics and local leaders will be a chance to see the interaction between theory and practice, to understand what kinds of tools and knowledge are needed to provide a more fulfilling, resilient lived experience for individuals in cities around the world.

Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

7th OECD World Forum on Well-being, taking place in Rome, Italy on 4-6 November 2024

Jill Johnson — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 03:40:25 GMT

I am pleased to inform you that registration for the 7th OECD World Forum on Well-being, taking place in Rome, Italy on 4-6 November 2024 is now open.

Celebrating the 20^th anniversary of the OECD World Forums that initiated the international movement on Beyond GDP and organised in the context of the G7 Finance Track of the Presidency of Italy, this edition will look at how the well-being perspective can enhance our understanding of major societal challenges, such as climate change and artificial intelligence, and respond to them. The Forum will also take stock of the progress accomplished on measuring well-being beyond GDP and on integrating well-being metrics and frameworks into policy.

Through a mixture of high-level panels, parallel sessions, technical workshops and interactive discussions, this Forum, taking place in-person, will provide maximum opportunities for participants to acquire actionable knowledge, make new connections across the public, private and civil sectors and together drive forward the international agenda on well-being.

In addition, as part of the Forum, we will be holding an Exhibition. With 500 participants attending in person from around the world, the Exhibition is an excellent opportunity to showcase your work and create synergies with a diverse international audience including NGOs, policymakers, innovators, researchers, international organisations, civil society and the private sector. Should you be interested in having a stand in the Exhibition, please write to us at: WellBeing@oecd.org and we can send you further details.

I invite you to visit the Forum website at: https://www.oecd-wellbeing-forum2024.mef.gov.it to learn more on the themes we’ll be addressing and register now to join us in Rome for what promises to be a very engaging event!

I would also be grateful if you could help us promote the Forum to your networks. To assist you with this, we have prepared the attached communications toolkit which includes content that can be used in a newsletter and/or on a website as well as posts for social media. You will also find attached a visual that you can use in 2 different formats as well as a one-pager about the Forum, in case it’s useful.

Finally, if you have not done so already, I invite you to sign up for our monthly newsletter where we provide updates on our latest work and upcoming events: https://oe.cd/wellbeingnews, and where we will be disseminating regular updates on the Forum. You can also reach out to us at: WellBeing@oecd.org with any questions that you may have.

Best regards,

Romina Boarini

Director, Centre for Well-Being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity

2, rue André Pascal - 75775 Paris Cedex 16

www.oecd.org/wise

Flyer-978-3-031-39506-2.pdf

Handbook of Quality of Life and Social Change

Jill Johnson — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 04:57:20 GMT

Cornelia C. Walther - University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

Handbook of Quality of Life and Social Change

Individual and Collective Path

Looks at change vis-à-vis the material and non-material components of quality of life

across contexts

Represents a vast diversity in authorship as well as region

Includes combined access to online course material

This handbook provides an extensive overview of the links between quality of life and social change as pursued in not only humanitarian and development work, but also in the private sector and academia. It combines theoretical and practice-focused chapters and addresses socio-economic, environmental, and political/governance aspects as well as communication and human behavioural factors that favour or hamper social change dynamics. The handbook showcases vast diversity both in the authorship---which includes practitioners from a wide range of sectors and academics from various disciplines---as well in geographical contexts and regions. The chapters cover a wide range methods and tools, which facilitate an inclusive understanding of the relationship between quality of life and social change. They show connections between micro (individual) changes and the dynamics that derive from them at the meso (community), macro (country) and meta levels (planet) of quality of life, and the social change processes sustained through time. The chapters demonstrate that quality of life and social change mutually condition and nurture each other. The handbook overall provides a holistic perspective to social change processes that includes both material and non-material aspects relating to quality of life. This comprehensive and one-of-a-kind volume is of interest to a wide readership, from students and researchers of social development, quality of life and wellbeing research, to development workers, policy makers and others

Flyer-978-3-031-39506-2.pdf

Emerald Publishing call for interest

Jill Johnson — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 23:49:01 GMT

Emerald Publishing is committed to sharing content and

SDG-aligned research that makes a real and positive impact

on people and planet. A founding signatory to the United

Nations SDG Publisher Compact, Emerald has established a

range of thematic goals to guide its strategy one of which is

A Fairer Society.

Each year Goal Advisor Professor Wendy M. Purcell, together with Emerald Publishing, select a

topic to explore what it means to become a fairer society and moves to invite experts around the

world to share their insights. The topic is also used to curate related research papers and books.

Past topics have included human flourishing, stewardship, livable cities, volunteerism, fairness

across generations, and trust.

For 2024, the theme for A Fairer Society is Quality of Life. This is in line with UN-Habitat’s

work in this area.

You are invited to contribute a blog, vlog, short think piece, or commentary

on Quality of Life for A Fairer Society.

A world that leaves no one and no place behind is a world where everyone’s quality of life

provides for their needs and enables them to realize their potential and aspirations. What does

this mean to you and your work? What do we need to do and/or stop doing? What will it take for

us to get from here to there? Can quality of life be a global ambition, realized locally for all?

The deadline for receipt is April 9, 2024. Please send of your draft to

wendy.purcell@rutgers.edu marked ‘FAIR QALY’. Accepted submissions will post on

Emerald’s A Fairer Society site in June 2024.

In addition, UN-Habitat is inviting you to express your interest to participate in the seventh

season of the Global Urban Lectures which will also focus on the Quality of Life. The Global

Urban Lectures is one of UN-Habitat’s most popular knowledge products in which experts

deliver a 15-minute lecture on themes related to sustainable urbanization. We are looking for

speakers working on innovative applied research that relates to improving quality of life in cities,

from across disciplines such as (but not limited to) – urban planning, behavioral economics,

public health, food systems, psychology, and environment. Please submit your interest via this

form by March 25, 2024: https://forms.gle/vsbjv7xHZgVS3Cwe6. Kindly reach out to

andrew.schmidt@un.org or liyana.muhamadyusof@un.org if you have any question on the UN-

Habitat Global Urban Lectures series.

A Fairer Society Quality of Life Call.pdf

ISQOLS among organisations facilitating collaboration with researchers from understudied regions

Jill Johnson — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 22:14:16 GMT

Congratulations to ISQOLS member, Kuba Krys and colleagues on the recent paper, published in the American Psychologist, which briefly discusses ISQOLS' important role in facilitating collaboration with researchers from regions that are often overlooked. Please find the paper attached, you can find more information on page 10

WEIRD–Confucian Comparisons: Ongoing Cultural Biases in Psychology’s Evidence Base and Some Recommendations for Improving Global Representation Kuba Krys1 , Igor de Almeida2 , Arkadiusz Wasiel1 , and Vivian L. Vignoles3 1 Institute of Psychology, Polish Academy of Sciences 2 Institute for the Future of Human Society, Kyoto University 3 School of Psychology, University of Sussex

https://isqols.org/resources/Documents/krys.pdf

2023 ISQOLS Year in Review

Jill Johnson — Mon, 01 Jan 2024 20:05:24 GMT

2023 ISQOLS Year in Review

The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies has been dedicated to promoting happiness, wellbeing, and quality-of-life research since 1995. As we enter our 29th year of operation, let us reflect on the incredible work that has been accomplished by our organization. ISQOLS strives to be a home for researchers, scholars, practitioners, and those with a genuine desire to enhance and improve the lives of those around us. May each of us enter this new year with renewed optimism, curiosity, and focus. We hope you continue to feel at home with ISQOLS in 2024 and beyond. Happy New Year and cheers to 2024!

Read the 2023 ISQOLS Year in Review Summary here:

2023 Year in Review ISQOLS.pdf

Call for nominations for the ISQOLS 2024 Best Dissertation Awards

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Nov 2023 19:46:53 GMT

Call for nominations for the ISQOLS 2024 Best Dissertation Awards. 1st prize: $1500 USD, membership, journal access, and 2024 conference registration. Submission deadline: January 31. Learn more at:

Best Dissertation Award

#qualityoflife#happiness#wellbeing#dissertation

Congratulations to ISQOLS Member, Graciela Tonon, Argentine Olympic Committee

Jill Johnson — Wed, 26 Jul 2023 20:42:17 GMT

The Argentine Olympic Committee celebrated its 100th anniversary and organized the "Argentine Sports, Physical Education and Health Congress: a strategic alliance for active societies committed to improving the quality of life", which took place on July 5 and 6 at the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires.

Dr. Graciela Tonon, ISQOLS Vice President of Publications, gave the opening keynote lecture on Quality of Life in the 21st Century. Likewise, she was appointed as an expert collaborating member in the Society and Active Life Commission, which is one of the commissions in which the Argentine Olympic Committee is organized.

Member Accomplishments: Radosveta Dimitrova

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:43:53 GMT

Handbook of Positive Youth Development. Advancing Research, Policy and Practice Applications in a Global Context, Springer

2022 Outstanding Social Policy Book Award by the Society for Research in Adolescence

2022 Ursula Gielen Global Psychology Book Award, American Psychological Association, APA by the International Psychology Division (52) to the authors of the book that makes the most significant contribution to psychology as a global discipline.

This handbook examines positive youth development (PYD) in youth and emerging adults from an international perspective. It focuses on large and underrepresented cultural groups across six continents within a strengths-based conception of adolescence that considers all youth as having assets. The volume explores the ways in which developmental assets, when effectively harnessed, empower youth to transition into a productive and resourceful adulthood. The book focuses on PYD across vast geographical regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand, North America, and Latin America as well as on strengths and resources for optimal well-being. The handbook addresses the positive development of young people across various cultural contexts to advance research, policy, and practice and inform interventions that foster continued thriving and reduce the chances of compromised youth development. It presents theoretical perspectives and supporting empirical findings to promote a more comprehensive understanding of PYD from an integrated, multidisciplinary, and multinational perspective.

Radosveta Dimitrova, PhD²

Associate Research Scholar

Docent, Associate Professor of Psychology

Department of Psychology

Stockholm University

Stockholm, Sweden

Dimitrova.radosveta@gmail.com

radosveta.dimitrova@psychology.su.se

Congratulations to Radosveta Dimitrova

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 00:41:16 GMT

Congratulations to Radosveta Dimitrova on winning the 2022 PROSE Book Award Winner for Psychology and Social Work, Association of American Publishers for: Roma Minority Youth across Cultural Contexts: Taking a Positive Approach to Research, Policy and Practice, Oxford University Press;

This book explores Positive Youth Development (PYD) in Roma ethnic minority youth. Standing apart from current volumes, this book focuses on the Roma ethnic minority — one of the most marginalized and oppressed minority groups in Europe — and on strengths and resources for optimal well-being in the community. The international and multidisciplinary contributors to this book address the complexities of Roma life in a variety of cultural settings, exploring how key developmental processes and person-context interactions can contribute to optimal and successful adaptation. The conclusions clarify how the PYD of ethnic minority children and youth may be fostered based on the empirical findings reported in the volume. The book draws on core theoretical models of PYD and theories of normative development from the perspective of developmental science to highlight the applicability of these frameworks to Roma groups. With a special focus on cultural, contextual, and socio-economic characteristics of Roma, this project also aims to provide a better understanding of what does and what does not contribute to the success of youth in oppressed minority groups.

Congratulations to Prof.Dr. Fouad Beseiso Scientific Contributions in Jan.2023 Green Economy as a refuge in Adapting to Climate Change Human disastrous Impacts

Jill Johnson — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 21:42:04 GMT

Congratulations to Prof.Dr. Fouad Beseiso Scientific Contributions in Jan.2023 Green Economy as a refuge in Adapting to Climate Change Human disastrous Impacts

My Contribution

Prof.Dr. Fouad Beseiso Scientific Contributions in Jan.2023

Green Economy as a refuge in Adapting to Climate Change Human disastrous Impacts

As a founder and active member I participated in the Arab Society for Economic Research (ASFER) in its initiated first public lecture of its scientific and cultural season for the year 2023, presented by Prof. Dr. Atef Coprusi, Professor Emeritus of Economics at McMaster University, Canada, and Board Member in the Arab Society for Economic Research. This lecture which has been presented on 25/1/2023 gave illustrations on "The challenges and human disastrous impact of climate change on Arab countries development and the potential for sustainable development in light of the twenty-seventh Egypt Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27)"

I gave some comments related to the green economy role and its determinants related to the production aspects with relation mainly to the financial sector led by Central Banks in playing its human sustained role in adapting to the climate changes.

I refer in the following to some of the main addressed issues related to the lecture topic and my contribution to this issue.

First: Dr. Kobrosi highlights:

Climate Change and Arab Development

As the climate change has been emerging as a basic human wellbeing crisis impacting even the political, economic and social stability on national, regional and international basis, issues of adapting to the disastrous human impact caused by the climate change have become a priority for national and global action programmes.

Climate disasters increase political and social instability, and increase economic and financial imbalances, in addition to reducing per capita income, job opportunities, and growth.

Arab countries are suffering more than the world standards of suffering from the climate changes. Following indicator gave illustration on this serious climate change and environmental crisis.

· Fresh Water use exceeds 400%of the available renewable fresh water. More 70%of water is used in agriculture and it is often inefficient.
· The costs of adaptation are less than the climate change caused.
· The cost of rising sea levels is about $27per meter in Egypt (without adaptation) while it is about $1.96 billion in Tunisia. The costs of averted sea level rise are estimated at $21 billion in Egypt and $1.2billion in Tunisia.
· Arab countries are witnessing the effects of global climate change. Annual temperatures have increased by about 1.5C in the past three decades which is double the global average increase (0.7c) over the same period.
· The inability of non-oil Arab countries to finance the development of appropriate adaptation programmes. The intensity of climatic pressures leads to many human and material damages. It also exacerbates the problem of land degradation (desertification, salinization), as well as water pressures and rising sea levels.

Second: My comments

· Role of Financial System led by Central Banks

As the climate change has been emerging as a basic human wellbeing crisis, a revolution on the traditional economic sciences which had been based upon the objective of maximizing material wealth, produced a newly human economic thought directed to the human moral economy designed for human sustained development which resulted in the birth of green economic system.

The concept of 'green economy' refers to economic activity and growth that aims to achieve sustainable development taking into account the reduction of environmental risks and the scarcity of environmental resources. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines a green economy as "a system of economic activities that will improve the quality of human life in the long term, without exposing future generations to environmental risks or serious ecological scarcity." http://www.uabonline.org/ar/research/economic/15701601157516021575160415731602157815891575158315/35036/0

Analysts and experts expect that the development of the green economy and changing unsustainable consumption patterns will lead to economic growth in the public and private sectors, as building a green economy is a path towards achieving sustainable development that includes social, environmental and economic development as a whole. Near-term environmental investments positively impact environmental wealth, employment opportunities and social services in the long term.

· The financial sector may contribute fruitfully to the measures taken within adaptation policies for climate changes as well as for integrating environmental pillar into sustained development. This role should be led by central banks as the main defined authority for supervision and banking financing regulations, thus issue regulatory directions favoring financing green investments while avoiding financing investments producing detrimental impact on the climate heat. Central bank’s monetary policy related to reserve requirements is a main tool in these cases.
· Role of Capital Markets: Designing effective incentives for pollution control requires an understanding of what determines the environmental performance of industrial enterprises. Earlier research on agents that may exert pressure on enterprises to improve their environmental performance has shown that capital markets, including in such countries as Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and the Philippines, react to news relating to a firm’s environmental performance (World Bank, 2005). But do the reactions of capital markets, reflected in lower market values, and then induce enterprises to improve their environmental performance?

Environment pillar and children education and culture

As education and culture play a leading role in society's civilized and socio-economic progress and human well-being, their role as played for environmental pillar inclusion into sustained human development seems to suffer many education and cultural gaps, mainly in relation to planting the seeds of environmental protection into the minds and behavioral actions and morals of humans beginning with their childhood. As we have a wise common saying states " knowledge in childhood is like engraving in stone " and as the sustained long-term environmental protection need for sustained human well-being, these conceptual as well as practical determinants justify strongly the feasibility of instituting environment as educational, Knowledgeable and cultural issue for children in all of their life stages including the pre and during the primary education stages.

Prof. Dr. Fouad H. Beseiso

Dr. Emma Pleeging , ISQOLS 2023 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

Jill Johnson — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 17:58:31 GMT

ISQOLS 2023 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship is intended to support one postdoctoral candidate conducting research in quality-of-life, happiness, and/or wellbeing studies.

The ISQOLS 2023 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow is Dr. Emma Pleeging

Dr. Emma Pleeging is a senior researcher and project coordinator at the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organisation (EHERO) at Erasmus University Rotterdam. Her work focuses on the role of positive experiences such as happiness and hope in society, organizations and for individuals.

LEARN MORE:

ISQOLS Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship

2023 ISQOLS Prize for the Best Dissertation on Quality-of-Life, Well-being, and Happiness - DEADLINE JANUARY 31

Jill Johnson — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 17:57:40 GMT

2023 ISQOLS Prize for the Best Dissertation on Quality-of-Life, Well-being, and Happiness

The International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) calls for nominations for the “2023 ISQOLS Prize for the Best Dissertation on Quality-of-Life, Well-being, and Happiness.” The deadline for nominations is January 31st, 2023.

ISQOLS awards the best dissertation with a lump sum of $1,500 USD, one-year free membership to ISQOLS, one-year free access to the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life Studies, and free registration to the 21st ISQOLS conference that will be held in August 2023 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

LEARN MORE:

ISQOLS 2023 Conference Call for Abstracts for Papers and Posters: extension deadline February 15

Jill Johnson — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 17:55:25 GMT

ISQOLS 2023 Conference

Call for Abstracts for Papers and Posters: *extension* deadline February 15

The 21st Conference of the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies

August 21st – August 25th / Rotterdam, the Netherlands

The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) is holding its 21st conference in the thriving city of Rotterdam, home of the Erasmus Happiness Economics Research Organization (EHERO) and the World Database of Happiness. The theme of the conference is “Towards a People-First Economy and Society: A World to Win”. Confirmed keynote speakers are Jan-Emmanuel De Neve (Oxford University), Jan Delhey (Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg), Barbara Fredrickson (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Amanda Janoo (Wellbeing Alliance), and Ruut Veenhoven (Erasmus University Rotterdam).

Call for Abstracts for Workshops, Special Sessions, Papers and Posters

Call for Abstracts for Papers and Posters: *extension* deadline February 15

Learn more:

2023 Conference Rotterdam

ISQOLS 2022 End of year summary:

Jill Johnson — Tue, 20 Dec 2022 19:39:55 GMT

ISQOLS 2022 End of year summary:

2022 ISQOLS End of year summary.pdf

Farewell letter from ISQOLS 2021-22 President, Carol Graham

Jill Johnson — Mon, 19 Dec 2022 22:32:07 GMT

Farewell letter from ISQOLS 2021-22 President, Carol Graham

Please read here:

ISQOLS Farewell from President Carol Graham.pdf

Member blog: Is it possible that policy affects our sleep? by Dr. Lihi Lahat

Jill Johnson — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 05:29:59 GMT

Is it possible that policy affects our sleep?

Dr. Lihi Lahat

One of the most important things for well-being is sleep. Not having enough sleep has repercussions on health, memory, abilities, and mood. Health organizations, such as the United States National Sleep Foundation and the CDC, suggest a range between seven and nine hours of sleep is appropriate for adults, and while it may change by age group and by country, we had surprising findings for Israelis. In a survey we conducted, adult Israelis reported a low number of sleep hours (mean 6.6) and asked for an average of one hour more to sleep, more than any other uses of time. This was a surprising finding: we assumed Israelis, as a very friendly and family-oriented society, would ask for more leisure time and more time to spend with family. The findings showed long hours of care and paid work dramatically affected the level of sleep. We argue these findings can be better understood if we take into account not just social norms, but also official policies, such as work hours or care assistance. In fact, we suggest policies may hinder sleep, a side effect that policymakers might not consider.

A study recently published in Policy Studies (with Professor Itai Sened) presents our findings on sleep hours and desired sleep hours and reflects on the findings in light of the Israeli policy context. The Israeli case is interesting - Israelis have a high number of children, the highest in the OECD, with 3.1 children per woman, and policies that encourage the inclusion of different populations in the workforce. However, the investment in care services for children and older populations is underdeveloped. The combination of a high number of children with a high number of work hours and underdeveloped care services leads to a high burden, especially for parents of small children. In Israel (and likely elsewhere), the dual care-work burden affects sleep and well-being.

Our work calls for policymakers to be more aware of the cumulative side effects of policies. For example, school hours, quality of care services, and regulations on work hours should be taken into consideration together, not as separate policies. A more holistic policy perspective might lead to better sleep and well-being not just in the Israeli case but in other countries with a dual work-care burden.

To cite this article: Lihi Lahat & Itai Sened (2022): The politics and policies of sleep? Empirical findings and the policy context. Policy Studies. DOI:10.1080/01442872.2022.2057460

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2022.2057460

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lihi_Lahat

Lihi Lahat Ph.D. is a senior lecturer in the Department of Administration & Public Policy at Sapir Academic College and an Affiliate Associate Professor, Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, Concordia University, Montreal. Her papers have been published in Policy Sciences, Social Policy & Administration, International Review of Administrative Sciences, Journal of Management and Governance, Review of Public Personnel Administration, and Poverty & Public Policy.

Changes in Subjective Well-Being are not Related to Income Growth

Jill Johnson — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 05:34:37 GMT

Changes in Subjective Well-Being are not Related to Income Growth

Recent research conducted by Richard Easterlin of the University of Southern California and Kelsey J. O’Connor of STATEC Research (Luxembourg) challenges traditional economic policy targets, confirming previous findings that changes in subjective well-being are not related to income growth in the long-run.

The new results, published in the Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics, are based on the most extensive relevant data sets, including the Gallup World Poll with more than 120 relevant countries. Even in the relatively less affluent countries, economic growth does not lead to greater subjective well-being. China serves as a notable example – from 1990 to 2018, the country experienced largely unprecedented economic growth but little to no increase in subjective well-being.

The authors address common criticisms. One of the more persistent is based on fluctuations in GDP per capita and subjective well-being. It is true that they are positively related in the short-run, especially when GDP per capita falls in times of recession; however, in longer periods characterized by both recessions and expansions, the impact of economic growth is reduced to nil.

How did wealthier countries get to be better off if economic growth does not lastingly increase well-being? They got a head start implementing the insights from social science – insights such as monetary and fiscal policy to stabilize business cycles, and the social safety net. This implementation did not depend greatly on income however. Germany initiated social insurance in the 1880s when it had real GDP per capita of less than $4000 (in 2011 dollars). Likewise, Costa Rica (who reports subjective well-being among the highest in the world) implemented social policy at a similarly low level of real GDP per capita, approximately $3000 in the 1940s.

The present insights indicate policy makers should go beyond GDP to promote subjective well-being. Additional studies by the authors provide initial evidence supporting full employment and social safety net policies. We need more evidence generally, but know it is possible to promote subjective well-being. On average it has trended upward around the world in the past few decades.

The article provides further support for and explanation of the often-debated Easterlin Paradox. First discovered by Richard Easterlin in 1974, the Easterlin Paradox consists in the findings that richer people (or countries) on average report higher subjective well-being than poorer ones, but over time this relationship vanishes, that is changes in subjective well-being are not related to income growth in the long run.

Social comparisons can explain the seemingly contradictory findings between the point-of-time and time series relationships. People benefit from comparing their incomes with those of the less fortunate (and the less fortunate report less subjective well-being when comparing their incomes to the wealthy), but over time, as incomes increase throughout the population, the incomes of one’s comparison group rises along with one’s own income, which vitiates the otherwise positive effect of own-income growth on subjective well-being.

The full research results are available in the publication:

Easterlin R.A., O’Connor K.J. (2021) The Easterlin Paradox. In: Zimmermann K.F. (eds) Handbook of Labor, Human Resources and Population Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57365-6_184-1

A free working paper version is available from the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

Obituary for Harry Halloran

Jill Johnson — Wed, 02 Mar 2022 21:20:00 GMT

----------------------------

Richard Estes and Joe Sirgy would like to announce with great sadness the passing of Harry Halloran—a friend, colleague and philanthropist who contributed to the support of many ISQOLS activities. Acting in his capacity as President and Chairman of the Board of the American Refining Group, Harry allocated a large share of the organization’s profits to funding Halloran Philanthropies, a not-for-profit charity which continues to focus on building ethical leadership among emerging entrepreneurs, environmental protection through the use of non-fossil fuels, cultural renewal among indigenous peoples, and the advancement of worldwide quality of life through scholarship.

Consistent with these goals Harry supported original research and writing projects for a large number of the Society’s most seasoned scholars, supported many interim conferences as well as three of the Society’s international meetings. The Society, in turn, acknowledged Harry’s varied contributions by awarding Halloran Philanthropies the 2016 Award for the Betterment of the Human Condition. Thank you Harry and may you Rest In Peace.

Event: You’ll never walk alone: loneliness, religion and economics

Jill Johnson — Mon, 28 Feb 2022 00:33:49 GMT

The UJ School of Economics and the Library invites you to a webinar titled: You’ll never walk alone: loneliness, religion and economics

ABSTRACT ¡ Happiness is an elusive entity and difficult to define, especially in time of uncertainty and change. Yet, loneliness, which can be thought as the opposite of happiness in many ways, is also a very particular condition and relates to a feeling that is very clearly connected to the current COVID-19 pandemic, which entailed isolation, lockdowns and social distancing. This study examines the change in feelings of loneliness in relation to the pandemic and in relation to local and individual cultural factors. Using data for the UK on regional (super output level) and individual level from the Office of National Statistics, I employ difference-in-differences approach to explore the role of local level of altruism and social capital as a pre-determinant of the experienced level of loneliness before and during the pandemic. Using a hierarchical model, I also explore the relationship of interpersonal differences in demographic characteristics and cultural attitudes (especially degree of religiosity) as predictors of the differences in the aggregate social experience of loneliness across space. The results show that controlling for objective socio-economic factors of the Mincer equation, loneliness associates significantly and negatively with mental health and positively with levels of religiosity of an individual. It is also in negative relationship with the local level of altruism and social capital. Places with low levels of altruism experience higher levels of loneliness both before and during the pandemic. These findings suggest that the religious narrative has the role of an alleviation of pain in the subjective utility function of people, but effectively and objectively places that are less altruistic experience greater loneliness with the corresponding greater mental health aftermaths.

PRESENTER ¡ Annie Tubadji – Swansea University, Wales, UK. FACILITATOR ¡ Prof Talita Greyling – Associate Professor, School of Economics, UJ. DATE ¡ 3 March 2022 TIME ¡ 11:00 (SAST) VENUE ¡ https://zoom.us/j/97359887583

Annie Tubadji is an Assistant Professor in Economics at Swansea University, the UK. She is a cultural economist studying cultural bias in economic choice and its implications for happiness, altruism and socio-economic development. Annie has been developing her unique research paradigm termed Culture Based Development (CBD) since 2007. In 2021, the Learned Society of Wales awarded Annie’s CBD paradigm with the Dillwyn Medal for Social Sciences. Earlier, the CBD Hypothesis was awarded the 2010 “Student Paper Award” by the Association for Institutional Thought (AFIT), Western Social Science Association meeting,

Talita Greyling is an Associate Professor in the School of Economics at the University of Johannesburg in South Africa. She specializes in well-being economics and quality of life studies and has a keen interest in fourth industrial revolution applications. She developed the initial “Happiness Index” using Big Data. Consequently, she partnered with Dr Stephanie Rossouw and established the Gross National Happiness.today Project (GNH.today), which continuously research and develop the index. The project received the Vice Chancellor’s Distinguished Award for Innovation

UJ_SoE_YoullNeverWalkAlone_INVITE _3March2022 (1).pdf

Measuring Progress: STATEC Well-being Seminar Series 1 March 2022

Jill Johnson — Fri, 18 Feb 2022 22:13:26 GMT

Measuring Progress: STATEC Well-being Seminar Series

1 March 2022

17:00 CET (11:00 AM Eastern) – 18:00 CET (12:00 PM Eastern)

Dr. Maria Rosalia Vicente, University of Oviedo

Dr. Pablo de Pedraza, European Commission, Joint Research Centre

Are Spaniards Happier When the Bars Are Open? Using Life Satisfaction to Evaluate COVID-19 Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs)

Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged governments worldwide with the design of appropriate policies that maximize health outcomes while minimizing economic and mental health consequences. This paper explores sources of individuals’ life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic, paying special attention to the effects of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). We studied the specific case of Spanish regions and focused on bar and restaurant closures using data from a continuous voluntary web survey that we merged with information about region-specific policies that identified when and where bars and restaurants were closed. We estimated an endogenous binary-treatment-regression model and found that closing bars and restaurants had a significant negative impact on happiness. The results were statistically significant after controlling for the pandemic context, health, income, work, and other personal characteristics and circumstances. We interpreted the results in terms of the positive effect of socialization, individuals’ feelings of freedom, and the comparative nature of life satisfaction.

Dr. Maria Rosalia Vicente is an associate professor at the Department of Applied Economics in the University of Oviedo (Spain). Her research interests focus on information and communication technologies (ICT), their socio-economic effects, and the use of big data for economic forecasting. Her research appears in journals such as: Applied Economic Letters, Economic Letters, Computers in Human Behaviour, Government Information Quarterly, Information & Management, The Information Society, Research Evaluation, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, and Telecommunications Policy.

Dr. Pablo de Pedraza is a researcher and project manager at the European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Monitoring, Indicators and Impact Evaluation Unit. He works on indexes related to small business and conducts research on topics including the data economy, life satisfaction, job insecurity, the labor market, and web-based data collection methods. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Wage Indicator foundation, which conducts multinational and multilingual labour oriented web surveys. He also coordinated Webdatanet, a network that brought together experts aiming to address methodological issues of web-based data collection.

The webinar will be held in English via Cisco Webex and recorded.

Registration is mandatory for this event.

Meeting password: AUmCma5b22@

REGISTER

Or use the link: https://etat.webex.com/etat/j.php?RGID=r5f07bb3e66fe39075c0e0246371c4beb

Call for papers: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Cohesion across the Globe

Jill Johnson — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 19:47:15 GMT

Call for papers: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Social Cohesion across the Globe

Together with Mandi Larsen and Georgi Dragolov, ISQOLS member Jan Delhey organizes a special issue of the journal Frontiers in Sociology on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on social cohesion.

Contributors are encouraged to address the impact of the pandemic on aspects of social cohesion, such as:
- Social relations and loneliness;
- Trust in others;
- Attitudes towards diversity;
- Identification and feelings of connection to society;
- Institutional trust, particularly in political institutions;
- Inequality, exclusion and polarization;
- Solidarity and helpfulness;

- Civic and political engagement.

The editors particularly welcome original empirical contributions making use of quantitative data and, ideally, involving a comparative perspective. We seek to cover a broad range of countries, regions, and cultures, with a special interest in those that typically do not receive extensive attention in the literature (e.g., the Global South).

The timeline is as follows:

· Abstract submission: 28 February 2022

Manuscript submission: 31 May 2022

For more information, please visit:

https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/30077/the-covid-19-pandemic-and-social-cohesion-across-the-globe

WELL-BEING 2022: KNOWLEDGE FOR INFORMED DECISIONS,

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Dec 2021 05:01:53 GMT

Well-being 2022: knowledge for informed decisions,

to be held in Luxembourg on 1 – 4 June 2022. Many of you know we had planned to host this conference in 2020 but postponed it due to COVID-19. The current plans have expanded some to include a pre-conference workshop. For complete details see below, the attached call for papers, or the website https://www.wellbeing2022.lu. To avoid cancelation or further postponement, we anticipate making use of the CovidCheck system, which certifies whether someone is fully vaccinated, recently recovered, or has tested negative in the past 48 or 72 hours. See details here.

The deadline for application is 31 January 2022.

Please share with anyone potentially interested.

The Organizing Committee

Call for papers:

International Conference “Well-being 2022: knowledge for informed decisions”

Hotel Parc Bellevue, Luxembourg, 1 – 4 of June 2022

Organized by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) and the Ministry of the Economy, Luxembourg

This international conference will bring together leading scholars to discuss the quest for better lives. Economists traditionally advocated economic growth as the foremost policy goal, but now even economists often challenge this view. The discussion remains open, indeed flourishes, with more contributors than ever. How do we promote well-being? What are the best policies? What is the role for civil society? How can these insights help us to address the environmental, social, and economic challenges of today and the future?

The conference will take place over four days from 1 – 4 of June 2022. We will host three keynotes speeches, a roundtable discussing how policy-makers can integrate the findings from well-being studies, an opening talk from a civil society activist, and a workshop on the World Database of Happiness.

Topics of the conference

This is an interdisciplinary conference welcoming contributions from every field of social sciences. We especially welcome papers on the following topics:
· Correlates and consequences of well-being and ill-being (e.g. personality, wealth, productivity, immigration, occupation, health);
· Well-being over time;
· Well-being inequality;
· Inequality, social capital, and inclusive growth;
· Well-being and the changing environment;
· Public or private interventions for well-being and their evaluations;
· Theory and applications of well-being measures in policy-making;
· Future directions in well-being research;
· Well-being and ill-being metrics (e.g. single indicators vs. dashboards; micro vs. macro; big data);
· The short- and long-run impacts of COVID-19 on well-being and its correlates; and
· Well-being productivity.

Key-note speakers

The three key-note speakers are: Stefano Bartolini, University of Siena; Carol Graham, Brookings Institution and University of Maryland; and Andrew Oswald, University of Warwick.

Policy round table

At the “Policy meets research” round table representatives of different institutions will discuss advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the well-being approach in policy making. Confirmed panelists include: Andrew Clark (Paris School of Economics), Carrie Exton (OECD), and three MPs from the Parliament of Luxembourg.

Perspective from civil society

John De Graaf, American author, journalist and film-maker, is a member of numerous non-profit organizations, and co-founder of both Take Back Your Time and the Happiness Alliance. In his talk, he will share his perspective on how society can move towards a happier, healthier, and more sustainable quality of life.

Workshop – “World Database of Happiness: hands on the most comprehensive happiness archive”

Ruut Veenhoven, the creator of the World Database of Happiness at Erasmus University Rotterdam, will lead participants through the database and how to use it. The database holds more than 40,000 empirical findings on happiness (life satisfaction), which are described in a standard format and terminology, making them easy to sort, for instance by population group, place, method, and correlate. He may also describe some of the current applications of the Database in his research.

Paper submission and deadlines

To apply, please, submit an abstract complete with name of the author/s and a title to: submitSWB2020@statec.etat.lu. Extended abstracts and full manuscripts are welcome. The deadline for application is 31 January 2022. We will notify the authors of accepted papers by the end of March 2022.

For more information, please, visit our conference website (www.wellbeing2022.lu) or send an e-mail to: infoSWB2020@statec.etat.lu

We look forward to welcoming you in Luxembourg,

The scientific committee:

Serge Allegrezza, STATEC

Martijn Burger, Erasmus University of Rotterdam

Conchita d’Ambrosio, University of Luxembourg

Johannes Hirata, Osnabruck University

Kelsey O’Connor, STATEC Research

Chiara Peroni, STATEC Research

Maurizio Pugno, University of Cassino

Stephanie Rossouw, Auckland University of Technology

Francesco Sarracino, STATEC Research

Only ONE month remaining! Abstract Submission Deadline is January 15, 2022, 20th Annual Conference "Quality-of-Life Resilient Futures: Sustainability, Equity, & Wellbeing"

Jill Johnson — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 23:20:44 GMT

Only ONE month remaining!

Abstract Submission Deadline is January 15, 2022

International Society for Quality-of- Life Studies

20th Annual Conference

"Quality-of-Life Resilient Futures:

Sustainability, Equity, & Wellbeing"

3-6 August, 2022

Burlington, Vermont, U.S.A.

The ISQOLS 2022 Conference in Burlington, Vermont, USA is the first in-person ISQOLS gathering since the global pandemic began. It provides the opportunity to build connections within our interdisciplinary/transdisciplinary community of scholars and practitioners dedicated to promoting quality-of-life and wellbeing. Hosted on the campus of The University of Vermont, the conference provides a forum for reflecting on our collective learning about quality-of-life throughout the global pandemic while providing evidence about how to cultivate resilience at all scales (individual, community, national, global) with a special focus on sustainability, equity, and wellbeing impacts on quality-of-life. We are pleased to welcome researchers, practitioners, students, professionals, faculty, retirees, experts and novices to Burlington, Vermont, USA in August 2022. Selected special events and lectures during the conference will be recorded.

2022 Conference Vermont USA

Watch #ISQOLS Board Member, Talita Greyling, present "Gaining The Edge" #BigData#wellbeingeconomics

Jill Johnson — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 14:42:40 GMT

Watch #ISQOLS Board Member, Talita Greyling, present "Gaining The Edge" #BigData#wellbeingeconomics TEDxUniversityofJohannesburg) https://www.ted.com/talks/talita_greyling_gaining_the_edge?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=tedspread via @TEDTalks@go2uj

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS Handbook Quality of Life 2022 Quality of Life and Social Change: Individual and Collective Paths of Social Change that nurture Quality of Life

Jill Johnson — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 15:09:39 GMT

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS Handbook Quality of Life 2022 Quality of Life and Social Change: Individual and Collective Paths of Social Change that nurture Quality of Life

NOTE TO AUTHORS: The aim of each chapter is to show up alternative ways to tackle social change. For structuring the chapter, concreteness is precious; with on the one hand a pragmatic way of how this was undertaken (WHY/WHERE/WHAT) and on the other the author’s unique path of becoming (WHO), which led to their approach to social change

1. Scope The aim of this book is to provide an extensive panorama of theories and practices related to quality of life pursued in the arena of social change. This compilation considers social, economic, environmental, and political/governance aspects as well as communication, design and human behavioural factors that favour or hamper change dynamics. To achieve this aim and to provide a multidisciplinary perspective, the chapters will be written by a diverse set of authors, including both practitioners and academics from various disciplines. This logic of diversity will be applied as well in the selection of different cultural, political and geographical contexts with contributors at different stages of their career. Contributions will be written in a compelling storytelling format that combines the personal experience of the author with their professional perspective.

2. Content The varied set of perspectives deriving from the authors’ field of experience and expertise will result in a kaleidoscope of first-hand knowledge about the paths that are conducive to quality of life at individual and collective levels. Whereas some chapters will concentrate on the policy dimension, others will provide case-studies, and others methodological innovations. Their common theme will be a holistic angle to social change processes that is not limited in its scope to either the material or the immaterial side of social transformation. The chapters will illustrate connections between micro changes (individual) and the dynamics that derive from it at the meso (community), macro (country) and meta level (planet) as well as quality of life and social change processes that have impact which is sustained through time. The editor will provide an introduction of the holistic perspective to social transformation that is illustrated by the chapters. This perspective is anchored in the understanding that quality of life is the result of alignment between the twice four dimensions that influence human existence at the individual level (soul, heart, mind and body; expressed as aspirations, emotions, thoughts and sensations), and collectively (micro, meso, macro and meta; or individual experiences, communities, countries and the world). A central message is that individual wellbeing (quality of life) is the cause and consequence of collective welfare. One without the other is unsustainable, and both can be promoted by systematically assessing and addressing the mutual interplay that connects them. Within this framework authors are expected to provide their own views, practical experience and theoretical approximation on how the multiple dimensions at stake - play out in relation to quality of life without ties to a monolithic orthodoxy. Each chapter should start with an introduction whereby authors establish their own being and becoming approximately 2,000 words) that led to the philosophy and approach that they are pursuing to build and promote local, national, or global Quality of Life (approximately 5,000 words). Moreover, such a spotlight on social change dynamics that are pursued in the ambition of inclusive quality of life for a maximum of people will shed light onto the multi-faceted nature of individual and collective wellbeing. The featured chapters will illustrate not only both, the material and immaterial factors that matter for individual and collective quality of life, and the change that needs to happen in order to foster it; but they furthermore show patterns related to the mutual interplay of individual (micro), communitarian (meso), national (macro) and global (meta) development. Differently from other volumes on social change and/or quality of life the contributors of this handbook will offer not only their professional and theoretical perspective, but also link this to their own being and becoming; thus, the lived experience that their proposal is grounded in. The Conclusion will serve to highlight common patterns that arise from the different perspectives. Respectively and together the chapters will demonstrate that quality of life and social change mutually condition and nurture each other; which stands in diametrical opposition to the common assumption that one is needed before the other one can be initiated. Keywords: Aid, aspiration, behaviour insights, connection, distribution, economic development, emotion, empowerment, environment, geographical perspective, holistic perspective, humanitarian action, impact, inequality, inequity, influence, institutions, interdisciplinarity, international development, leadership, mental health, mixed-methods, personal development, poverty, public policy, resilience, social norms, social policy, social transformation, sustainability.

3. Timeline Abstract proposals latest submitted by authors: October 2021 Decisions provided to authors: November 2022 Chapter manuscripts due: May 2022 Revisions and final preparation: May-September 2022 Submit Springer: September 2022 Publication (expected): April 2023

Core components

The chapters will be grouped in two main parts: 1) Past and present perspectives, which looks at existing concepts and constellations; and 2) Present and future promises, which explores innovative approaches and applications. Respectively and together these parts will address four questions: WHAT IS QUALITY OF LIFE? Local definitions to QoL. Causes and consequences; WHERE ARE ENTRY POINTS? Logic and limitation of players; WHO IS/SHOULD BE INVOLVED? Holistically Humane foci in social change programs; WHY CHANGE IS NEEDED, NOW? Visions for Social Change. Looking at approximately 40 contributors it is estimated that this Handbook will contain 350,000 words, including introduction, conclusion, references, figures and annexes. In line with the four question that are the backbone of this handbook (WHAT, WHERE, WHO, WHY) the authors will draw on their personal and professional experience. They will look briefly at the core drivers that motivated their journey (WHY they are here, in this line of work and in this collection), their own being and becoming (WHO they are – which influences their research, work and quality of life), and the way it shaped their vision and approach to social change (WHERE they stand in life – their theoretical and methodological perspective), which lead to the methodology and perspective that they are offering in this book (WHAT can be done to build and nurture sustainable social change, thus expanding on practical applications and policy/programmatic recommendations).

**** IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, PLEASE SHARE A 200-300 WORD ABSTRACT EARLIEST POSSIBLE AND NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 2021 FOR QUESTIONS AND/OR EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST PLEASE CONTACT: Cornelia Walther -

8poze8@gmail.com

+1 347 845 37 90

THANK YOU

2021-08_Handbook_Holistic QoL_Call for Abstracts.pdf

Inequalities and well-being in Portugal: monitoring through a local system of indicators for Europe

Jill Johnson — Wed, 06 Oct 2021 05:32:10 GMT

Measuring Progress: STATEC Well-being Seminar Series

15 October 2021

17:00 CET (11:00 AM Eastern) – 18:00 CET (12:00 PM Eastern)

Nuno Nunes Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon

Inequalities and well-being in Portugal: monitoring through a local system of indicators for Europe

Abstract: Inequality and well-being are central concerns in today’s world. Recent studies emphasize that inequality constrains well-being, but the findings are mostly supported by analysis between countries, that do not take into consideration inequalities within countries and their specific place-based scope. This seminar has two overarching objectives: first, it aims to present new knowledge about the relations between inequalities and well-being, under the frameworks of OECD Better Life Initiative, in the case of Portugal and their municipalities, with the far-reaching purpose of analytical replication to the other European countries; and second, by proposing a comparable system of indicators that allows for within and between country analysis on inequalities and well-being, to discuss public policies for achieving at local levels in Europe the sustainable development goals of United Nations 2030 Agenda. We propose to operationalise a set of place-based inequality and well-being indicators which make it possible to enhance public policies, supported on a European well-being agenda, that would allow overcoming strict visions of European integration, convergence and social cohesion, objectives that in the current global pandemic crisis are even more challenging for Europe. The results that we will present can contribute for building a system of place-based indicators able to monitor the European 2030 UN Agenda throughout municipalities and regions.

Prof. Dr. Nuno Nunes, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, speaks on behalf of the “Territories of Inequality and Well-Being Project” (TIWELL), which includes Rosário Mauritti, Maria do Carmo Botelho, Daniela Craveiro, Sara Silva and Luís Cabrita and is conducted in the Researh Centre Cies-Iscte. The project contributors have published their work in journals such as European Societies, Journal of Civil Society, International Studies in Sociology of Education, Education Sciences, Social Policy and Society, European Journal of Social Work, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Health and Place, the Portuguese Journal of Social Science, and Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas, among other publications.

The webinar will be held in English via Cisco Webex and recorded.

Registration is mandatory for this event.

Meeting password: p5A3tkxU23*

Launching of the Division of Positive Psychology, Malaysia

Jill Johnson — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 21:10:18 GMT

We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Division of Positive Psychology operating under the Malaysian Psychological Association (PSIMA).

This division is a platform for stakeholders to understand the development of positive psychology in Malaysia. Our visions are to introduce and promote positive psychology to the country and communities and also to provide continuing professional development for members.

We are honored to invite you to attend the Launching Ceremony of the Division of Positive Psychology.

The details of the ceremony are as follow:

Date: 09 Oct 2021 (Sat)

Time: 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (Malaysia time)

Platform: Facebook live (https://www.facebook.com/mydivpospsych)

Opening Speech by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Wan Shahrazad Wan Sulaiman, President of Malaysian Psychological Association (PSIMA)

Forum "The Future of Positive Psychology in Malaysia" by Prof. Dr. Intan Hashimah Mohd Hashim and Prof. Dr. Deborah Hall.

Attached are the detail and itinerary of the launching ceremony for your perusal. Kindly extend the invitation to your colleagues, students, and friends. We look forward to seeing you.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any inquiries about the division. We also look forward to collaborating with your association to promote Positive Psychology.

Thank you.

Regards,

Chee-Seng TAN, Ph.D.

Head

Division of Positive Psychology

Malaysian Psychological Association (PSIMA)

Email: positivepsychology.div@psima.org.my

Website | Facebook

The Happy Planet Index 2021 Online Launch Event

Jill Johnson — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 05:13:05 GMT

The Happy Planet Index 2021 Online Launch Event

(October 25th - 9 AM - 10 AM Eastern Time)

The Happy Planet Index measures what matters: sustainable wellbeing for all.It tells us how well nations are doing at achieving long, happy, sustainable lives.

Join WEAll (the Wellbeing Economy Alliance) for the launch of the latest rankings of the Happy Planet Index!

Shoirakhon Nurdinova, "The best project among women-scientists" from International Fund for supporting science and education/Ziyo Forum

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Sep 2021 00:11:24 GMT

Congrats to ISQOLS member, Shoirakhon Nurdinova, on winning "The best project among women-scientists" from International Fund for supporting science and education/Ziyo Forum. This award is given for her research project on the happiness of working/nonworking women:

https://ziyoforum.uz/fond-yangiliklari/post/ziyolilar-kitobining-taqdimoti

Shoirakhon Nurdinova

Senior Lecturer/Namangan State University

Namangan Uzbekistan 160136

New Zealand government recognises the benefit of reporting the GNH index

Jill Johnson — Wed, 15 Sep 2021 15:43:08 GMT

READ HERE: GNH index.pdf

New Zealand government recognises the benefit of reporting the GNH index.

The Gross National Happiness.Today index developed by Stephanie Rossouw (Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand ) and Talita Greyling (University of Johannesburg, South Africa) uses Big Data in the form of Twitter to measure New Zealanders' evaluative mood. The scale of the happiness scores is between 0 (unhappy) and 10 (happy), with 5 being neutral, thus neither happy nor unhappy. Additionally, each tweet's underpinning emotions are analysed. Currently, a distinction is made between eight emotions: sadness, surprise, disgust, anticipation, fear, anger, trust, and joy.

On Monday 6 September, Statistics New Zealand started reporting the GNH as an official indicator, representing a real-time measure for subjective well-being, in the NZ Statistic COVID-19 data portal.

Please see the link below.

https://www.stats.govt.nz/experimental/covid-19-data-portal?tab=Social&category=Life%20satisfaction&indicator=Gross%20national%20happiness

Asked about the accuracy of the GNH, Stephanie said, "Once again, the GNH never ceases to amaze me The GNH captures the events of the past month accurately".

9 August – negative impact of the major power cut experienced in the North Island

17 August – level 4 lockdown for NZ

30 August – Auckland to remain in level 4 lockdown for two more weeks starting 31 August

3 September – lone terrorist attack in a Countdown grocery store

IF for Applied Research in Quality of Life is 3.078 – ranking 20/110 in Social Sciences, interdisciplinary (Q1)!

Jill Johnson — Sun, 11 Jul 2021 22:22:01 GMT

Congrats to the editorial team for our journal!

@SpringerSocSci

announced that the IF for Applied Research in Quality of Life is 3.078 – ranking 20/110 in Social Sciences, interdisciplinary (Q1)! #qualityoflife Learn more https://springer.com/journal/11482

Special Event Invitation: Measuring Progress: Online Forum on Well-Being

Jill Johnson — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 18:40:20 GMT

Measuring Progress: Online Forum on Well-Being
June 16, June 28, June 29

Measuring Progress - Statistics Portal // Luxembourg - STATEC Research (public.lu)

This international event will bring together leading thinkers to discuss the quest for better lives. Economists traditionally advocated economic growth as the foremost policy goal, but now even economists often challenge this view. How should we measure progress? The discussion remains open, indeed flourishes, with more contributors than ever.

The event contributes broadly to this discussion. Preeminent authors from the well-being and quality-of-life fields will give six talks over three days. Talks will focus on their current research and include both the broader background and policy implications. At the end of each session, time will be reserved for questions and answers.

SCHEDULE

June 16, Wednesday: 17:00 CET, 11:00 AM Eastern
Stefano Bartolini, University of Siena - Abstract
Richard Easterlin, University of Southern California - Abstract
Invitation and registration

June 28, Monday: 17:00 CET, 11:00 AM Eastern
Andrew Oswald, University of Warwick - Abstract
Carol Graham, Brookings Institution and University of Maryland - Abstract
Invitation and registration

June 29, Tuesday: 17:00 CET, 11:00 AM Eastern
Ruut Veenhoven, Erasmus University Rotterdam - Abstract
John de Graaf, author, filmmaker, speaker - Abstract
Invitation and registration

REGISTRATION

Please send an email to infoSWB2020@statec.etat.lu to indicate you are interested in attending. You will then be added to the event mailing list, which will be used to convey the most up to date information and registration links.

MEASURING PROGRESS STATEC Seminar Series

Beginning in September, STATEC Research will host a new seminar series continuing the discussions from the June event. Presentations will take place virtually approximately every two weeks. Talks will focus on quality-of-life research generally but will also discuss both the broader background and policy implications.

QUESTIONS

We will periodically update this page with additional details. You may also contact us here with questions: infoSWB2020@statec.etat.lu

ORGANIZERS

Measuring Progress: Online Forum on Well-Being is organized by STATEC Research, part of the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies of Luxembourg (STATEC), and supported by the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies.

Measuring Progress - Statistics Portal // Luxembourg - STATEC Research (public.lu)

The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (Canada) and The Productivity Institute (United Kingdom) are inviting proposals for papers on the topic “Productivity and Well-Being – Measurement and Explanations.”

Jill Johnson — Tue, 25 May 2021 19:17:48 GMT

The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (Canada) and The Productivity Institute (United Kingdom) are inviting proposals for papers on the topic “Productivity and Well-Being – Measurement and Explanations.” Accepted papers, which should represent new and original work, will be published in a theme issue of the International Productivity Monitor, now the joint flagship publication of both organizations. The expected publication date is the Spring of 2022. A virtual authors’ workshop with first drafts of papers will be held in November 2021. The deadline for receipt of proposals for papers is July 15, 2021. The call for paper providing the motivation for the project and the issues to be addressed is posted at http://www.csls.ca/call-for-papers.pdf

If you have any questions, please contact Andrew Sharpe at andrew.sharpe@csls,ca

Best Regards,

Andrew Sharpe and Bart van Ark

Thursday 27th May 2021 at 17.30 CET in the workshop World Database of Happiness: What it is and how to use

Jill Johnson — Thu, 20 May 2021 16:10:36 GMT

Conferences/workshops

The Doctoral School of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Oradea, and Erasmus University Rotterdam invites you to participate on Thursday 27th May 2021 at 17.30 CET in the workshop World Database of Happiness: What it is and how to use

Presenter: Prof. dr. Ruut Veenhoven, Emeritus professor of social conditions for human happiness, Erasmus University Rotterdam The workshop will be organized within the International Online Conference of Doctoral and Post-doctoral Students in Social Sciences, Oradea, 27-28th May 2021 (https://sites.google.com/view/conferintasds2021).

To attend the workshop please register here:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcvde6rqjwoGdUUEN0PZDvolNKsK9yXb38o.

The number of places is limited!

Sergiu Baltatescu

Dr. habil., Professor of Sociology

University of Oradea, Romania

www.sergiubaltatescu.info

Second International Conference on Children’s Well-being 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE-Extension of Abstracts submission to 31 Μay 2021 | childrenwelfaresm.com

Jill Johnson — Thu, 20 May 2021 05:42:00 GMT

Second International Conference on Children’s Well-being 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE-Extension of Abstracts submission to 31 Μay 2021 | childrenwelfaresm.com

http://www.childrenwelfaresm.com/en/events-ανακοινώσεις/second-international-conference-children’s-well-being-2021-virtual-conference

Second International Conference on Children’s Well-being 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE-Extension of Abstracts submission to 31 Μay 2021 | childrenwelfaresm.com

Due to several kind requests, we have decided to extend deadline for Abstracts submission. The new deadline is: 31 May 2021 CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING AND PERSPECTIVES ON ITS ENHANCEMENT Second International Conference on Children’s Well-being 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE 9-11 July 2021 Call for Abstracts

www.childrenwelfaresm.com

My kindest regards,

Eirini

---

Dr. Eirini Leriou

Recent interview: isqols.org/Eirini-Leriou/

Recent paper: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12187-020-09770-4

Project: http://www.childrenwelfaresm.com/el

2021 Conference: “Policies for Better Lives: Strategies for life satisfaction and human wellbeing”.

Jill Johnson — Mon, 10 May 2021 04:43:22 GMT

Policies for Better Lives:
Strategies for life satisfaction and human wellbeing

The McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy (IHSP) is pleased to announce its 2021 annual conference “Policies for Better Lives: Strategies for life satisfaction and human wellbeing”. This on-line conference will take place in 2-hour sessions each Friday in May 2021 and features national and international expert panels, discussion and workshops. Panelists and participants are invited from research, policy and practitioner communities to share and discuss potential and current best practice in bringing evidence on life satisfaction to policy. Together they will evaluate bold candidate policy recommendations, assess their current feasibility, and identify key strategies for working across disciplines, jurisdictions and sectors to improve the experienced quality of life. Please see the programme for the innovative structure of this sequence of discussions. In addition, subjective wellbeing researchers in the ISQOLS community are invited to submit short policy proposal videos following the guidelines at https://wellbeing.research.mcgill.ca/BetterLives2021/submissions

The Program and free registration are available at https://wellbeing.research.mcgill.ca/BetterLives2021

Contact admincoord.ihsp@mcgill.ca or Chris.Barrington-Leigh@McGill.ca with any questions.

CONTACT US

Regional and Urban Resilience in a Turbulent World – Perspectives from Aotearoa New Zealand

Jill Johnson — Thu, 29 Apr 2021 18:08:06 GMT

Regional and Urban Resilience in a Turbulent World – Perspectives from Aotearoa New Zealand Satellite Session of the World Congress of the Regional Science Association International, Victoria University of Wellington, Friday 28 May 2021

The analyses of global challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change, poverty, polarisation and political instability often provide international or national perspectives, but the impacts can vary considerably across cities and regions as well.

The Regional Science Association International (RSAI), founded in 1954, is an international community of scholars who focus on the regional impacts of national and global processes of economic and social change. The 2021 World Congress of RSAI is a virtual conference to be held online May 25-28, 2021 hosted by the Moroccan section of RSAI. New Zealand scholars will contribute by presenting 8 papers in the afternoon and evening of Friday, May 28. The New Zealand event will be hosted by Victoria University of Wellington at Rutherford House. Up to 30 people, including presenters, can attend in person (with afternoon tea, dinner and drinks included; and as long as Wellington is at Covid alert level 1 or 2). An unlimited number from elsewhere in New Zealand can attend online (see below). Overseas conference participants can attend online through the RSAI conference website.

Programme, Friday, May 28th 2021 (speakers indicated by *)

4.00-4.30 pm: Welcome and afternoon tea, Mezzanine Floor, Rutherford House 4.30-6.30 pm: Session 1, Room MZ02, Rutherford House Paul Dalziel*, Geography matters for small advanced economies: the implications for an economic strategy. Ryan Greenaway-McGrevy*, Gail Pacheco & Kade Sorensen, The effect of upzoning on house prices and redevelopment premiums in Auckland, New Zealand. Graham Squires*, Hai Hong Trinh, Don Webber & Arshad Javed, The connection of rental and house price affordability measures in New Zealand. William Cochrane, Jacques Poot* & Matthew Roskruge, Vulnerable people, local labour market resilience and global shocks: New Zealand evidence from the Covid-19 pandemic and the Global Financial Crisis.

6.30-8.00 pm: Dinner at the Thistle Inn for in-person participants 8.00-10.00 pm: Session 2, Room MZ02, Rutherford House Ilan Noy*, How do pandemics affect economic growth? Lessons from the 1968 H3N2 influenza and 2003 SARS. Philip S. Morrison*, Stephanié Rossouw & Talita Greyling, The impact of exogenous shocks on wellbeing. New Zealanders’ reaction to Covid-19. Daniel Exeter*, An examination of the distributional implications of the Covid-19 pandemic. Arthur Grimes*, Regional patterns of wellbeing through pandemic lockdowns.

10.00-11.00 pm: Drinks at the Thistle Inn In-person registration (first 30 to register): $190 (includes afternoon tea, dinner and drinks) Online NZ registration: $45 (live streamed and/or video accessible afterwards) These registration fees give access to the New Zealand paper presentations only.

To register, go to https://pay.wgtn.ac.nz/RSAI21 Registration for the full virtual World Congress Conference (May 25-28, online only) can be via http://regionalscience.org/2021worldcongress/index.html For inquiries, contact either Philip.Morrison@vuw.ac.nz or Jacques.Poot@waikato.ac.nz Registration closes Friday, May 21th 202

RSAI World Congress NZ Satellite Conference 28 May 2021.pdf

SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED: Call for Papers for the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research (VYPR) 2022 Special Issue on “Demographic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences”

Jill Johnson — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 20:46:33 GMT

SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED: Call for Papers for the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research (VYPR) 2022 Special Issue on “Demographic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences”

Due to the ongoing impact of the Covid 19 pandemic on academic and daily lives, the submission deadline has been extended until 31 May 2021. This allows to also welcome submissions focusing on the most recent trends in the demographic impact of the pandemic.

The VYPR is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal without any fees, which has been published annually by the Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 2003. It is addressing population trends as well as a broad range of theoretical and methodological issues in population research. The VYPR is indexed by SCOPUS, JSTOR, ROAD (Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources).

Accepted papers will be published continuously online first. The printed volume with all contributions is scheduled for publication by end of 2022.

Please find detailed information here: www.viennayearbook.org

APDU Workshop Series: Making the Best of the 2020 Census

Jill Johnson — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 23:40:33 GMT

APDU Workshop Series: Making the Best of the 2020 Census

Virtual Workshop

Town Halls: April 14 and May 12, 2021

Trainings: June 16, August 18, and September 15, 2021

Office Hours: Biweekly beginning June 9, 2021

Price: Free

Accurate statistics about 2020 will rely on much more than the decennial census data collection. Developing reliable data will require an understanding of challenges resulting from the pandemic, combined with greater use of non-traditional sources like administrative records. The solutions to these problems will impact how data is gathered going forward for a variety of purposes: education, housing, economic development, public health, and more.

Register today for this series of town hall events and trainings. During this workshop series you will learn more about the quality of the data that state and local leaders rely on and how you can improve and supplement it.

Town Hall #1: April 14, 2021 (3:00 – 4:00 PM ET)
2020 Census was “Different” – A Rundown of Issues

Facilitators:

Amy O’Hara, Research Professor, Massive Data Institute, Georgetown University
danah boyd, Principal Investigator, Microsoft Research & Founder, Data & Society

With the COVID-19 pandemic, political interference, and disclosure avoidance concerns, this census was deeply impacted. Amy and danah will discuss what happened with the census, where we are now, what researchers are hearing from the Census Bureau, the updated timeline, and what the Census Bureau can still fix.

Town Hall #2: May 12, 2021 (3:00 – 4:30 PM ET)
Solving Data “Differences” – Assessing the Use Cases

In this town hall, we will solicit your concerns and questions about upcoming census products – specifically about urban/rural, housing, workforce, health, and justice use cases. We will discuss data sources and methods for these different use cases. Since 2020 census products are delayed, we will discuss alternative data sources that may support population measurement.

Training #1: June 16, 2021 (1:00 – 3:30 PM ET)
Addressing the Census – Why Address Data is Crucial and How to Use It

In the first of a series of trainings focused on preparing data users to use the 2020 census data, we will begin by familiarizing the group with types of address data to lead to a high-quality census enumeration, help to validate the census publications that come out, and potentially how to mount a Count Question Resolution challenge. In this session, we will review coverage and classification issues, how to evaluate data sources and tools to assess your data.

Training #2: August 18, 2021 (1:00 – 3:30 PM ET)
Age Bins – Where to Find More Data

In our second training, we will discuss the importance of obtaining accurate data on different age categories. The Census Bureau has released demonstration data on their disclosure avoidance system; however, age bins have not been a component. Accurate age bins are critical for urban planning, public health, social research, and funding, and we know that the census has traditionally undercounted very young children and overcounted the elderly. We will discuss how possible imprecision in published census results may affect the age distribution and consider how age bins can be smoothed. We will also explore other datasets that can be used to understand key population subgroups.

Training #3: September 15, 2021 (1:00 – 3:30 PM ET)
Beyond COVID – Identifying Public Health Data to Prevent Disaster

Whether it’s a global pandemic or an overdose crisis in your community, we want to empower you with the tools and resources to identify patterns and be prepared to respond. This training will go over the new administration’s Executive Order, which datasets can drive insights around health, highlighting differences between statistical and tactical data. We will also discuss measuring migration and service utilization. With these tools, we are hoping to prepare our attendees to identify the best data and methods to deal with future public health crises or natural disasters.

Connection Lab: REQUESTS YOUR INPUT

Jill Johnson — Tue, 30 Mar 2021 18:32:42 GMT

Connection Lab Home - Connection Lab is finishing up a meta-analysis on the relationship between leader affect and follower well-being. We are hoping to gather any remaining data on this relationship that has not yet been published. This includes both correlational and experimental research.

Specifically, we are interested in correlations (or other effect sizes) between any measure of leader affect with any measure of follower affect or well-being (broadly defined). For each variable, we would like to know the measure, its Cronbach's alpha, and the sample size associated with the effect size.

For all studies, we would also appreciate it if you could provide the mean age, percent of women participants in the sample, and the data collection country.

Of course, we will cite your data/paper in our reporting.

CONTACT:

Julia Langer

julia@connectionlab.com

Re-post: Member blog, "The Beauty of Cultural Diversity" by Tithi Bhatnagar

Jill Johnson — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 15:35:54 GMT

Re-post member blog, originally published on isqols.org in 2016

The Beauty of Cultural Diversity

by Tithi Bhatnagar

Research in the area of quality-of-life, especially Subjective Well-Being asserts that culture is a very critical context that determines happiness, subjective well-being, quality-of-life, and life satisfaction of individuals. It is so much ingrained into our beings that we are not able to appreciate it unless we are separated from it. Leading a regular, a uniform life makes living monotonous and sad. It is like breathing and not living. Cultural diversity adds the flavor to life, the zeal to live, and an adventure to explore. How wonderful to say the same thing in different accents, and then try to identify the part of earth the individual comes from; the different symbolic meaning of similar actions; the same word and varied cultural connotations attached to it; and the list goes on and on.

Imagine all of us living within the same architecture, wearing the same dresses and speaking the same language! Run your imagination and you get an error message - life suddenly becomes black and white. If we were to go back to the way we were raised - imagine the various local celebrations, festivals, and special food of special occasions, community traditions - suddenly our vision becomes all so colorful. I always believe and research supports that the best way to pass traditions and values to children is through sharing folktales. They learn much faster and retain the concepts in their long-term memory in this way. The icing on the cake is ‘learning becomes fun’. It is true that we are all one as human beings. However, along with individual differences, it is these cultural variations that make life beautiful and meaningful. These different hues add the necessary brightness and purpose that motivates the will in individuals to lead a good life.

The fast pace of life today makes it very challenging to meet daily chores. What is important to maintain our levels of well being perhaps is creating as many experiences as possible. To laugh as much as we can, to create memories, cherish them later, meet as many people with diverse background and learn from each other’s culture, to never miss a travel opportunity. We grow when we appreciate diversity and understand the common thread that binds us all one as humans.

Last years’ annual ISQOLS conference at Seoul is a wonderful example of my experience of beauty in cultural diversity. What was remarkable was that we were all one and yet so different. This observation was very much in line with the trail of my thoughts that originated when I got down at the Incheon International Airport. The airport, the Bus Shuttle Gates, all were so similar to what we have in big cities back home. When I was on the bus, the buildings that I saw and the kind of roads, all reminded me of Gurgaon (the current city of my residence). I was happy and appreciated Globalization. With this, it is easy to move to new and unknown places. Everything looks so familiar and similar. A visit to the city of Seoul was what brought a beautiful insight. Be it the Palace, the traditionally attired young girls who looked like dolls at the Palace gate, or the market, or the stupendous colorful Namsan Tower, all very clearly pointed out the beauty of cultural diversity. There was warmth of the South Korean culture in particular, and that of Asia in general. Every place speaks about its history, heritage, traditions, and teaches us something. The experience is what keeps us going. It helps to stay connected to our roots. This creates a powerful reservoir of positive emotions and keeps us going when we feel low. We should keep being happy to move on the path of exploring this journey further and in-depth.

Meaning Conference 2021 Announcement

Jill Johnson — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 02:50:20 GMT

Meaning Conference 2021 Announcement

COVID-19 has killed more than 2.5 million people, devastated the world economy, and wreaked havoc on mental health globally. The challenges for psychologists are: How can we help people stay positive and become better and stronger? and How can we make the world a safer, kinder, and fairer place for all people?

We invite you to the 11^th biennial International Meaning Conference, where you will learn from leading researchers, practitioners, and educators on how to rise to such challenges, transcend pandemic fatigue, and live a meaningful life. The International Meaning Conferences continue to be the only world congress on existential positive psychology, embracing disciplines ranging from psychology, philosophy, and religion, to management, education, and medicine.

Come and learn the new science of flourishing through suffering. More specifically, you will learn: How to find healing and hope in tragic times and how to transform vulnerabilities to resilience.

Given travel restrictions, we are pleased to offer the conference virtually and reach more people globally. Mark August 5–8, 2021, on your calendars so that you do not miss this unique event.

Confirmed keynote speakers thus far include Christina J. Becker, Louis Hoffman, Todd Kashdan, Tim Lomas, Farooq Naeem, Darcia Narvaez, Robert Niemeyer, and Tayyab Rashid.

We have chosen the conference theme, because at a time when our vulnerability is laid bare by the external threats and our collective existential crisis, we embrace it as an opportunity to explore and discover new pathways to resilience and wellbeing in trying times. Subthemes of the conference include the following:

· The role of meaning in wellbeing.
· The contributions of cultural differences and indigenous psychology to global wellbeing.
· The need to confront human suffering as the foundation for wellbeing.
· The role of responsibility in personal, institutional, and global wellbeing.
· The transformation of shame, guilt, anxiety, and other negative emotions as a means of achieving sustainable happiness.
· The role of faith and spirituality in positive mental health.
· The positive psychology of sickness, death and dying.
· The effect of interactions between positive and negative emotions on wellbeing.
· A dialectical mindset in avoiding radicalism and achieving a balance.
· Humility and servant leadership in resolving conflicts.
· Moral courage in the face of dangers and risks.

This is only a subset of the expanding domain of existential positive psychology (PP 2.0). All submissions are welcome in any areas related to the adaptive benefits of what is typically considered as detrimental to wellbeing.

They can contact me. Here are the websites www.meaning.ca and www.drpaulwong.com

Paul T. P. Wong, Ph.D., C.Psych. (www.drpaulwong.com)

President, International Network on Personal Meaning
President, Meaning-Centered Counselling Institute Inc.

World Happiness Report 2021

Jill Johnson — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 20:28:32 GMT

World Happiness Report 2021!

Click to read:

WHR+21.pdf (happiness-report.s3.amazonaws.com)

2021 IEEE EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

Jill Johnson — Tue, 23 Feb 2021 21:24:56 GMT

Programme – IEEE E-TEMS

SMART CITIES THROUGH PROJECTS: ACHIEVING QUALITY OF LIFE?

18-20 March

2021 IEEE EUROPEAN TECHNOLOGY AND ENGINEERING MANAGEMENT SUMMIT

DORTMUND UNIVERSITY OF APPLIED SCIENCES AND ARTS

#CITIESR4LIVING

"The good, the bad and the ugly of lockdowns during Covid-19" by Talita Greyling & Stephanie Rossouw

Jill Johnson — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 19:32:37 GMT

Huge congrats to our #ISQOLSmembers, Talita Greyling & Stephanie Rossouw on the publication of their article in #PLOSONE: "The good, the bad and the ugly of lockdowns during Covid-19". #COVID19research #lockdowns

Download the article for FREE at:

The good, the bad and the ugly of lockdowns during Covid-19 (plos.org)

“Family Well-Being” section in Applied Research in Quality of Life (ARQOL)

Jill Johnson — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 19:32:28 GMT

Announcing “Family Well-Being” section in Applied Research in Quality of Life (ARQOL)

As family well-being is closely related to quality of life, we are launching a section on “Family well-Being” in Applied Research in Quality of Life. Effective January 2021 the journal welcomes submissions on family well-being which are consistent with the aims and scope of ARQOL (https://www.springer.com/journal/11482). Please submit your article via the online submission and peer review system editorial manager today!

Modern Economic Growth, Culture, andSubjective Well‑Being: Evidence from Arctic Alaska

Jill Johnson — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 02:45:31 GMT

Journal of Happiness Studieshttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10902-020-00335-41 3RESEARCH PAPER

Modern Economic Growth, Culture, andSubjective Well‑Being: Evidence fromArctic Alaska

FengyuWu1,2 Accepted: 18 November 2020 © Springer Nature B.V. 2020

Abstract

The life satisfaction of the indigenous population in Arctic Alaska is quite high, perhaps higher than that of the U.S. population in general. Is wage employment brought by modern economic growth responsible for their high life satisfaction? Probably not. Interestingly, we find that household wage income and job opportunities per working-age Native are neg-atively associated with their life satisfaction. In contrast, non-wage income, which does not involve the sacrifice of time that can be used for subsistence activities, is positively associated with life satisfaction. A household’s involvement in these traditional activities is found to be positively associated with life satisfaction as well. The findings challenge the common preconception about the effects of modernization and point to the importance of the non-wage subsistence activities as a preferred substitute for wage employment to this indigenous population. A combination of Christian religious beliefs and indigenous spir-itual beliefs is also positively associated with their life satisfaction.Keywords Subjective well-being· Life satisfaction· Economic growth· Subsistence activities· Culture· Indigenous populationJ

read here

Modern Economic Growth, Culture, and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Arctic Alaska (springer.com)

Call for Papers! Special Issue: Humour, playfulness and entertainment in wellbeing.

Jill Johnson — Wed, 30 Dec 2020 02:00:09 GMT

Call for Papers! Special Issue: Humour, playfulness and entertainment in wellbeing.

Guest Editors

Tracey Platt, University of Sunderland, UK
Tracey.Platt@sunderland.ac.uk
Sonja Heintz, University of Plymouth, UK
Sonja.Heintz@plymouth.ac.uk

Research illuminates the nuanced roles of humour, laughter, playfulness and entertainment in wellbeing and health. Humour has a distinct physiological response, can be considered a character strength, a means of coping and emotional regulation, and has subtle variations in expression and outcomes across cultures and contexts, for both the individual and their social groups. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent upheaval of social systems and mass home isolation, there has been a surge in entertainment media consumption, including in new media such as memes.

Potential contributions

International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology is calling for manuscripts that share new knowledge on humour, laughter, playfulness and entertainment as it relates to well-being, quality of life, coping, and health. Studies of humour in relation to COVID-19 will be given priority, including the role of media consumption. The Special Issue welcomes empirical contributions, short reports, (theoretical) position papers, as well as reviews on these and other related topics from psychology and interdisciplinary collaborations.

Manuscript Submission

The review process will be similar to regular journal submissions where final decisions are based on peer review. Papers can be submitted via the online submisson portal, selecting the Special Issue SI - Humour, playfulness and entertainment in wellbeing, following the Submission Guidelines

Important Dates

January 31, 2021: Manuscript submission deadline
April 30, 2021: Final notifications to authors
September 2021: Expected publication date of the full special issue (after publication process, your article will be published Online First)

About the Guest Editors

Dr Tracey Platt is Principle Lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Sunderland (UK). Her research focuses on humour, gelotophobia (the fear of being laughed at), laughter, and emotions.

Dr Sonja Heintz is Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Plymouth (UK). Her main research interests are individual differences in humour and positive traits and psychometrics. She has published more than 30 articles and book chapters on the topics of humour and comic styles, the sense of humour, humour appreciation, wellbeing, and character strengths.

International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology | Call for papers! special issue: humour, playfulness and entertainment in wellbeing. (springer.com)

International Conference “Well-being 2021: knowledge for informed decisions”

Jill Johnson — Fri, 18 Dec 2020 17:36:19 GMT

International Conference “Well-being 2021: knowledge for informed decisions”

Hotel Parc Bellevue, Luxembourg, 28 – 30 of June 2021

Organized by The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) and the Ministry of the Economy, Luxembourg

This international conference will bring together leading scholars to discuss the quest for better lives. Economists traditionally advocated economic growth as the foremost policy goal, but now even economists often challenge this view. The discussion remains open, indeed flourishes, with more contributors than ever. How do we promote well-being? What are the best policies? What is the role for civil society? How can the happiness literature help facing the environmental, social and economic challenges ahead?

The conference will take place over three days from 28 – 30 of June 2021. We will host four keynote speakers and a roundtable discussing how policy-makers can integrate the findings from well-being studies.

Topics of the conference

This is an interdisciplinary conference welcoming contributions from every field of social sciences, such as economics, sociology, psychology, and political sciences. We especially welcome papers on the following topics:

· Correlates and consequences of well-being and ill-being (e.g. personality, wealth, productivity, immigration, occupation, health);

· Well-being over time;

· Well-being inequality;

· Inequality, social capital, and inclusive growth;

· Well-being and the changing environment;

· Public or private interventions for well-being and their evaluations;

· Future directions in well-being research;

· Well-being and ill-being metrics (e.g. single indicators vs. dashboards; micro vs. macro);

· The impact of Covid-19 on well-being and its correlates;

· Big data and well-being.

Key-note speakers

The four key-note speakers are: prof. Stefano Bartolini, University of Siena; Mr. John De Graaf, an American author, journalist and film-maker; prof. Carol Graham, Brookings Institution and University of Maryland; and prof. Andrew Oswald, University of Warwick.

Round table

On Tuesday morning the conference will host a round table on “Policy meets research” where representatives of institutions will discuss advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the well-being approach in policy making.

Paper submission and deadlines

To apply, please, submit an abstract complete with name of the author/s and a title to: submitSWB2020@statec.etat.lu. Extended abstracts and full manuscripts are welcome.

The deadline for application is the 15 January 2021. We will notify the authors of accepted papers by the end of March 2021.

For more information, please, visit our conference web-site (www.wellbeing2021.lu) or send an e-mail to: infoSWB2020@statec.etat.lu

We look forward to welcoming you in Luxembourg,

The scientific committee:

Serge Allegrezza, STATEC

Martijn Burger, Erasmus University of Rotterdam

Conchita d’Ambrosio, University of Luxembourg

Johannes Hirata, Osnabruck University

Kelsey O’Connor, STATEC

Chiara Peroni, STATEC

Maurizio Pugno, University of Cassino

Stephanie Rossouw, Auckland University of Technology

Francesco Sarracino, STATEC

Invitation What Works Centre for Wellbeing, Centre for Ageing Better and Spirit of 2012: Understanding and modelling the relationship between individual and place-based community wellbeing

Jill Johnson — Thu, 05 Nov 2020 20:35:32 GMT

Details:

We are excited to share with you that we have an invitation to tender for a brilliant researcher - or research team - for a new project: Understanding and modelling the relationship between individual and place-based community wellbeing, jointly commissioned by the What Works Centre for Wellbeing, Centre for Ageing Better and Spirit of 2012.

The research will focus on:

What is the relationship between community wellbeing and the wellbeing of different individuals and identified groups within that community (place)?
How can this relationship be modelled quantitatively using measures of community, individual wellbeing and measures for the quantity and quality of relationships and sense of belonging to a place?
What are the barriers and enablers (context and social infrastructure) to achieving a virtuous circle of positive outcomes for individuals and communities and addressing any trade-offs or risks of negative outcomes for different individuals/groups?

Please help us find the right researcher(s).

The link to the tender is here: https://whatworkswellbeing.org/about-us/work-for-us/

Please send your proposal with the subject line Submission for tender Community and Individual Wellbeing to: deborah.hardoon@whatworkswellbeing.org no later than 5pm 6 November.

Available: 150 volumes (over 600 issues) of Social Indicators Research

Jill Johnson — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:47:24 GMT

Dear ISQOLS Community:

After celebrating my 85^th birthday last August and continuing my struggle with a variety of health problems, it occurred to me that I should begin downsizing my quality-of-life library. The biggest chunk of it is about 150 volumes (over 600 issues) of Social Indicators Research, currently running from May 1974, Volume 1, Number 1 to November 2020, Volume 152, Number 2. I founded it and served as editor for 40 years.

I understand that most libraries avoid hard copy journals in favour of digitized versions, but there may be an institution or individual with a special interest in having the world’s first scholarly documents developing our field. There are, of course, additional documents concerning various transactions between the journal’s editor and many other stakeholders, but these require more organizing and editing than copies of the journal itself.

Volumes and issues of the journal are carefully boxed and I would ship them to their new owner in exchange for a tax receipt acceptable to

Revenue Canada plus the shipping costs for the collection.

Anyone with questions or an interest in obtaining these copies of Social Indicators Research can contact me at Michalos@brandonu.ca .

Sincerely,

Alex C. Michalos

THE ECONOMICS OF HAPPINESS How the Easterlin Paradox Transformed Our Understanding of Well-Being and Progress

Jill Johnson — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:23:16 GMT

The Economics of Happiness

How the Easterlin Paradox Transformed Our Understanding of Well-Being and Progress

Editors: Rojas, Mariano (Ed.)

Provides an overview of Richard Easterlin’s groundbreaking work on happiness and economics, widely known as the Easterlin Paradox

Call for Papers for the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research (VYPR) 2022 Special Issue on “Demographic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences”,

Jill Johnson — Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:01:55 GMT

Dear Colleagues,

Please find attached the Call for Papers for the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research (VYPR) 2022 Special Issue on “Demographic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences”, which is open now.

The VYPR is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal without any fees, that has been published annually by the Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 2003. It is addressing population trends as well as a broad range of theoretical and methodological issues in population research. The VYPR is indexed by SCOPUS, JSTOR, ROAD (Directory of Open Access Scholarly Resources).

For the content of the next Special Issue on COVID-19 please see the attached call.

Accepted papers will be published continuously online first. The printed volume with all contributions is scheduled for publication by end of 2022.

Please find detailed information here: www.viennayearbook.org

We kindly ask you to share this Call for Papers with your colleagues and within your network.

We would also like to bring to your attention the Wittgenstein Centre Conference 2020 on the same topic of the special issue “Demographic aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences”, which will be held with a hybrid format in Vienna on 30 November-1 December 2020. Please find the relevant information here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/vid/events/calendar/conferences/covid-19/

Thank you very much for all your efforts!

With kind regards on behalf of the editors of the VYPR

Petra

Petra Schmutz

Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (IIASA, OeAW, University of Vienna)

Austrian Academy of Sciences / Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (OeAW)

Institut für Demographie / Vienna Institute of Demography (VID)

*** new addresss and phone number ***
Vordere Zollamtsstraße 3

1030 Vienna

Austria
Tel: +43 1 51581 – 7740

www.wittgensteincentre.org

ACCESS CALL FOR PAPERS HERE:

VYPR_COVID-19_Call-for-Papers.pdf

Subjective wellbeing and Sustainable Development Special Issue of Sustainability Call for papers

Jill Johnson — Sun, 27 Sep 2020 19:19:26 GMT

Subjective wellbeing and Sustainable Development

Special Issue of Sustainability

Call for papers

Although sustainable development was recognised as a process for change over 30 years ago, achieving sustainability still remains a challenge. Many sustainability initiatives remain within existing systems and practices dominated by an economic growth worldview. This special issue focuses on the potential for a new worldview – subjective wellbeing - as a means of creating a different process for sustainable change. It will not only consider the extent to which sustainability initiatives contribute to subjective wellbeing, but more importantly the potential for subjective wellbeing to provide a new narrative for sustainability and the role of individual and collective subjective wellbeing as a precursor to achieving the changes needed. This special issue will be situated within a growing field of literature that challenges the dominance of existing systems and processes, and human-centric, individualised conceptualisations of wellbeing, to bring about sustainability through whole systems transformative change.

More details about the SI and how to submit can be found on the website: https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/special_issues/wellbeing_sustainability

Sustainability, is an open access journal. The costs of publication lie with the author and their institution.

Dr Beverley A Searle

Senior Lecturer in Human Geography

Department of Geography

University of Dundee

Nethergate

Dundee DD1 4HN

Scotland

Tel: +44(0)1382 386350

Member article: "Understanding and Measuring Child Well-Being in the Region of Attica, Greece: Round One "

Jill Johnson — Tue, 15 Sep 2020 16:11:09 GMT

Understanding and Measuring Child Well-Being in the Region of Attica, Greece: Round One

Authors:

Eirini Leriou

, Aggeliki Kazani, Andreas Kollias & Christina Paraskevopoulou

Abstract

This paper aims to establish new, multi-dimensional indicators of child well-being suitable to urban regions such as Attica, Greece, and adjusted to the new form of child poverty that has become apparent during its recent financial crisis. The paper mainly argues that child well-being is a multi-dimensional phenomenon and that the financial crisis produced a specific need for new scientific tools adapted to the particular features that emerged under this circumstance. Within this context, definitions of child well-being and child poverty were developed. With these definitions as foundation, a tool comprising many indicators was formulated to record child well-being; this was applied in Attica through questionnaires addressing 27 public schools and three support centers of the organization, The Smile of the Child, covering two periods: the school years between 2010 and 2018 collectively and the school year 2018–2019 individually. The total number of children in the sample was 878, belonging to three distinct school categories. The results were mapped out in seven clusters. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study was confirmed through a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). The results reveal that child well-being improved in the period 2018–2019 while there were evident concerns regarding unemployment and whether the education individuals receive is relevant to what kind of people they ought to be. Finally, an action plan focusing on these dimensions and some of the clusters along with an auxiliary tool for decision-making founded on fuzzy logic have been suggested.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs12187-020-09770-4

Submission deadline for full papers for CAUTHE 2021 “Transformations in Uncertain Times: Future perfect in tourism, hospitality and events”

Jill Johnson — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 19:04:22 GMT

Dear colleagues,

Many of you are familiar with the conference network CAUTHE: The Council for Australasian Tourism and Hospitality Education : https://cauthe.org/services/conferences/

We are less than a month away before the submission deadline for full papers for CAUTHE 2021 “Transformations in Uncertain Times: Future perfect in tourism, hospitality and events”.

CAUTHE 2021 will be a virtual conference next year and a conference flyer is attached. We were asked to chair the well-being conference track for the event . You will see the list of tracks here: https://cauthe.org/services/conferences/cauthe-2021-conference/cauthe-2021-conference-call-for-papers/

Bookmark these important dates, so you do not miss out:

Full paper submission: 1October 2020
Working paper submission: 31 October 2020
Author feedback: 30 November 2020
Submission of revised papers: 15 December 2020
Online presentation of papers: 9-11 February 2021

CAUTHE 2021 conference papers qualify for numerous awards (http://cauthe.org/services/awards/) and publication opportunities including a special issue in the top ranked CAUTHE journal (Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Management, SSCI impact factor 3.415, https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-hospitality-and-tourism-management).

Best regards,

Sebastian Filep and Andreas H. Zins

Andreas H. Zins

Full Professor
Dean | Faculty of Business

Curtin University Malaysia
Tel | +60 85 000 000 (GMT +8)
Fax | +60 85 000 000
Mobile | +66 82 456 3108

Email | andreas.zins@curtin.edu.my

Web | www.curtin.edu.my

Adjunct Full Professor | MODUL University Vienna |

Department of Tourism and Service Management

Adjunct Associate Professor | Vienna University of Economics and Business |

Department of Service Marketing and Tourism

Curtin Malaysia is owned and managed by Curtin (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd. (464213-M)

Ministry of Education Registration No. KPT/JPT/DFT/US/Y02 DULN003(Q)

CRICOS Provider Code 00301J

MAPCU Membership No. C/038

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS for Linking Sustainability and Happiness: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives Contracted with Springer Nature,

Jill Johnson — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 18:24:15 GMT

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS for Linking Sustainability and Happiness: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives Contracted with Springer Nature, www.springernature.com, the book will present both applied and theoretical perspectives linking sustainability and happiness. The volume will offer critical discussion, constructive insights and informed guidance for future research and applied work that can move us closer toward a sustainable future. We will open the book with a critical review of environmental, social, and economic sustainability theories and happiness principles. We will also include an overview of the biological underpinnings of happiness, mainly focused on subconscious actions that promote our own fitness. The book will then include two major parts where authors can contribute, as detailed below, followed by a concluding section. This edited volume with all new material is planned at 12-16 chapters of original work. Chapter authors are invited from around the globe, providing a variety of theories, practices, and perspectives. There are two major parts to the volume: Part I - theories and methodologies that link sustainability and happiness (e.g., participatory research, quality of life research, sustainable development theories, asset-based community development, spirituality perspectives, and emerging theories on sustainable community development and happiness, community well-being, integrative medicine and happiness, and beauty and happiness); and Part II - applied practices meant to promote greater opportunities for happiness on the ground. Practices should also focus on simultaneously promoting sustainability. Many examples and experiences are welcomed. Proposals are sought for all sections. Please submit your chapter proposal to me at: Scott.Cloutier@asu.edu. Proposals should include: (1) your proposed title; (2) an abstract of no more than 500 words; (3) section preference (Part I or II); (4) format type - whether short essay of up to 2500 words, or chapter length from 2500 – 8000 words; (5) your contact information; and (6) a short ½ page biography. The format for the volume will be APA style. Anticipated publication date is 2019. The due date for proposals is October 1, 2020 (decisions on proposals will be sent by October 8, 2020 with full chapters due by Nov 15, 2020). Chapter authors receive a copy of the book, once published. Please reach out with questions. Scott Cloutier, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, School of Sustainability Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282 P: (603) 285-2296 E: Scott.Cloutier@asu.edu DUE DATE FOR PROPOSALS October 1st, 2020

View call here: Call for Chapters CQoLWB.pdf

Member blog: "Public sector employee’s emotional well-being in challenging time"

Jill Johnson — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 18:36:34 GMT

Public sector employee’s emotional well-being in challenging time

Dr. Lihi Lahat

The work of many people around the world is at stake – with the Corona pandemic, some people are temporarily laid off, and others have lost their jobs altogether. For those who still have jobs, the ways of working are changing. During these challenging times, it is especially interesting to examine the factors affecting employees’ well-being. Can we do things, even now, to improve well-being?

While the interest in the topic of well-being in the workplace is not new, few researchers have examined public sector employees’ well-being, especially in a comparative perspective. A study I conducted with Dr. Dganit Ofek, recently published in the Review of Public Personnel Administration, explored factors affecting the emotional well-being of public sector employees in seven countries: Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, France, and Italy. These countries have diverse administrative cultures, so one might expect differences in the drivers of well-being.

The findings revealed that the country context and the work surroundings were more influential than the fact of belonging to the public sector. Another interesting finding was that soft features of the work environment, such as discretion over the workday, a good work-life balance, and social interactions, were more important to emotional well-being than hard features, such as the type of contract or position (e.g., managerial). Moreover, these variables had a different effect in different countries. For example, the French administrative culture involves bureaucrats in policy decisions; consequently, in France, participation in decision making had a more profound effect on public employees’ well-being. In Spain, characterized as a culture of strong family and social ties, social relationships were more important.

The findings are interesting, especially given the current demand for human resource divisions around the world to find new ways to better their employees’ well-being. The study raises our awareness of the important connection between the administrative culture, work surroundings, and well-being.

It seems that when HR departments attempt to improve public sector employees’ well-being, they should focus on the soft features of the work surroundings. For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, involving employees in organizational decision making on what changes and flexibilities to implement in the work routine may support their well-being. Another example could be to create interactive forums so workers can share their experiences and ways of operating in this challenging period. When implementing different steps, however, it is important to consider the unique features of the country’s administrative culture and not automatically embrace HR strategies from another country. Finding strategies attuned to the features of a specific country may better address public sector employees’ emotional well-being

For the full paper see:

Lahat, L., & Ofek, D. (2020). Emotional well-being among public employees: A comparative perspective. Review of Public Personnel Administration

https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371X20939642

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lihi_Lahat

¹An early version of this post was published in Hebrew on the Espanet Israel website.

Lihi Lahat(Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Israel) is a senior lecturer in the Department of Administration & Public Policy at Sapir Academic College and Affiliate Associate Professor, Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, Concordia University, Montreal. Her papers have been published in journals such as Policy Sciences, Social Policy & Administration, International Review of Administrative Sciences, Journal of Management and Governance and Poverty & Public Policy.

Connection Lab meta-analysis on the relationship between mindfulness and meaning.

Jill Johnson — Tue, 08 Sep 2020 15:57:25 GMT

Dear Colleagues,

Connection Lab is finishing up a meta-analysis on the relationship between mindfulness and meaning. We are hoping to gather any remaining data on this relationship that has not yet been published. This includes both correlational and experimental research.

For correlational data, we are interested in correlations between mindfulness and meaning measures. For each variable, we would like to know the measure, its alpha, and the n sample size associated with the correlation. If you gathered data across time, we are interested in the correlation between time 1 mindfulness and time 2 meaning.

For experimental data, we are asking for a description of the mindfulness intervention used, the meaning measure used, and pre/post sample sizes, alphas, means, and SD's for each group's meaning. We would also like to know if participants were randomly assigned to conditions and what the conditions were.

For all studies, we would also appreciate it if you could provide the mean age, percent of women participants in the sample, and the data collection country.

Of course, we will cite your data/paper in our reporting.

If this does not apply to you could you forward this email to your colleagues who might have this type of research?

Thank you for your time and help.

Sincerely,

Julia Langer, MHS

Connection Lab

Julia Langer, MHS

Research Associate

Connection Lab

julia@connectionlab.com

www.connectionlab.com

1st Virtual UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific Thursday 17 and Friday 18 September 2020

Jill Johnson — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 18:17:42 GMT

the Union of International Associations (UIA) cordially invites International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies to participate at its

1st Virtual UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific

Thursday 17 and Friday 18 September 2020

This 8th UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific had been planned to originally take place in the city of Seoul hosted by our partner Seoul Tourism Organization.

Now, Seoul Tourism Organization will provide the virtual meeting platform where easy access, networking and educational content will combine to provide an engaging and rewarding experience for delegates.

The Union of International Associations is inviting people working in and with international associations,

· we will virtually meet and attend presentations on common challenges by peers working in international associations

· we will discuss in workshops and break-out rooms and you will have the chance to ask in-depth questions and to share and exchange knowledge and experience

· participants will be invited to join mini games individually or in teams, with opportunities to win prizes

· UIA team members will moderate the sessions throughout, guiding and assisting the delegates

· the Seoul Tourism Organization Team will assist you in any technical need

· we will have breaks!

· and you will have the chance of a Virtual Seoul Tour

See the topics of the programme below –

and watch the Round Table website https://uia.org/roundtable/2020/asiapacific for updates and more details!

Thanks to the support of our host, Seoul Tourism Organization , we will be able to offer a high-level educational programme through a high-level and easy to access technology platform for a low fee of KRW 50,000 / 40 US dollars.

How to register for the 1st virtual UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific:

(1) Go to https://uia.org/roundtable/

(2) Click on “register now” for Round Table Asia-Pacific

(3) Fill in your username XD6558

(4) Fill in your password MDWAFNKL

You can use this username and password to register any number of delegates; each of your delegates will need to log in and register separately. Should you wish to register more than two delegates, please contact us.

UIA is an independent non-profit research institute founded in 1907 which documents and promotes the work of international associations. UIA shares its information on associations through its publications: the Yearbook of International Organizations , and the International Congress Calendar. UIA also promotes the work of associations by organizing educational activities, such as the UIA Associations Round Table.

For over 110 years the UIA has been working to promote and document the work of international associations. We look forward to welcoming you at our Round Tables this year.

Sincerely,

Carol Williams

Union of International Associations

PS. While you are logged in on the UIA website, you may also wish to check your association’s profile in the Yearbook of International Organizations and as well complete our Survey on International Meeting Issues

1st Virtual UIA Associations Round Table Asia-Pacific

Thursday 17 and Friday 18 September 2020

hosted and powered by our partner Seoul Tourism Organization

Moderation by UIA team members

Virtual meeting platform and technical support by Seoul Tourism Organization

Speakers and Topics

· Opening Keynote

· by Cyril Ritchie, President of UIA: “ The UN’s 75th Anniversary and your association – why it matters”

· panel discussion with all speakers and group discussions

· Presentations / Case Studies / Workshops in break-out rooms

· Mr John Peackock, Associations Forum: "Why All Associations Needs Good Structure, Governance and Plans"

· Dr Christie Chang, Past President, Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women: “Looking for and negotiating a destination for an association event”

· Mr Octavio B Peralta, Secretary-General, Asia-Pacific Federation of Association Organizations (APFAO), and Secretary-General, Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP): “Association Business Model Innovation”

· Dr Wai Yie Leong, Member of Board of Directors, International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists: “Measuring the impact your association has on the community”

· Mr Zar Gomez, Regional Coordinator, Caritas Asia: “Mobilizing resources from within and from outside a federation”

· Mr Ryan Brubaker, Web Designer, UIA: “Achieving goals, finding partners: UIA’s Global Civil Society Database”

· And more:

· Mini games individually or in teams, with opportunities to win prizes

· Virtual tours of Seoul

Launch of the Journal of Swiss Chinese Law Review and Invitation for Submission

Jill Johnson — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 18:13:42 GMT

To: International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS)

From: Swiss Chinese Law Association

Topic: Launch of the Journal of Swiss Chinese Law Review and Invitation for Submission

Today, we are proud to present you the Journal of Swiss Chinese Law Review(ISSN 2673-5407), a bilingual journal. Please kindly find the attachment as the inaugural issue of the Journal. Please kindly find the attachments as the new journal as well as the calling for our next issue: The Changing Preconceptions(due on 16^th August). The printed version and online version will be available soon.

As we battle this coronavirus, it is the time for the legal professionals to unite. It is the time to understand each other and collaborate across different cultures. It is the time that we should cherish on our common values, to cherish the unity and to pride the goals rather than our differences. On a practical level, it is the time to find better protocols to collaborate in online hearings. It is the time to convince courts to take more effective measures toward the pandemic.

It is with this in mind that the first issue of the Swiss Chinese Law Review is born. In compiling this edition, we have been blown away by submissions over forty-five countries and regions. It goes without saying that this would not have been possible had it not been for the huge devotion and time committed by fifteen translators, ten peer-reviewers and four editors.

Meanwhile, we would also like to dedicate our heartful thanks to our supporters of the inaugural issue: SUN Lawyers LLP, Cone Marshall Group, and Ruggle Partners. It goes without saying that the publication of the journal has attracted high attentions, among which was broadcasted by China National Radio (Click here to see news ) as well as China Daily(Click here to see the news). In a global wise, the Journal has been included by Helveticat (Click here).

For the 2^nd issue, we are invite you to make a submission (see attachment). Please use this link to submit your articles: https://www.research.net/r/SCLA2 . For any inquiries, please write to: journal@cnsla.org . Although it might be a delay for the replying email, yet we will carefully process with every submission with great responsibility.

I am looking forward to hearing back from you and your organization and I wish you and your family a great health.

Thank you so much again,

In represent of the Editors (David Dahlborn and Jerry Guo).

Tianze Zhang 张天泽 | General Coordinator

Tianze.zhang@cnsla.org | www.cnsla.org

Swiss Chinese Law Association| Rue Rodolphe-Toepffer 8, 1206 Genève, Switzerland

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Notice: The information contained in this message and any attachments hereto is confidential, may be privileged and is intended solely for the use of the addressee. Any unauthorised dissemination, distribution, copying or other use of this message or its attachments, or any part hereof or thereof, is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by replying to the message and please delete it from your computer.If you don't wish to receive our invitation, please click here.

Swiss Chinese Law Review 1st Issue_compressed.pdf

Member article, "Well-being and mental health amid COVID-19: Differences in resilience across minorities and whites "

Jill Johnson — Sun, 30 Aug 2020 17:42:58 GMT

Well-being and mental health amid COVID-19: Differences in resilience across minorities and whites

Carol Graham, Yung Chun, Michal Grinstein-Weiss, and Stephen Roll Wednesday, June 24, 2020

https://www.brookings.edu/research/well-being-and-mental-health-amid-covid-19-differences-in-resilience-across-minorities-and-whites/

Call for Chapter Proposals Social (In)Equality, Community Well-being and Quality of Life

Jill Johnson — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 17:17:38 GMT

Call for Chapter Proposals Aug 20 .pdf

The aim of this book is to provide an overview and explore relationships between social (in)equality, community well-being and quality of life. As an area of accelerating interest, we seek to explore the connectivity of these three concepts. The book has four broad areas: Social (In)Equality: Social (in)equality is a highly relevant topic in the social sciences. Its definition, elements and characteristics, and causes and consequences vastly differ depending on the country and its context. The origins of the study of inequality include being grounded in anthropological studies where it is examined by comparing egalitarian versus inegalitarian relationships and societal structures. In general, social inequality refers to relational processes in society that have the effect of limiting or harming a group or community's social status, social class, and social circle. It may emerge through a society's understanding of appropriate gender roles, or through the prevalence of social stereotyping. In many cases, social inequalities exist between differing racial, ethnic or religious groups, classes and countries, making the concept of social inequality a global phenomenon. Situations are exacerbated given the pandemic which has brought to light underlying inequities and structural barriers to fostering social equality. Social inequalities are also deepening for vulnerable populations in countries with weaker health systems and those facing existing humanitarian crises. Global social justice movements focusing on racial and ethnic inequalities as exemplified by the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States to the pressing need for recognition of indigenous rights globally highlight systemic community ill-being and inequalities. Refugees and migrants, as well as indigenous peoples, older persons, people with disabilities and children are particularly at risk of being left behind. Reducing inequalities and ensuring no one is left behind are integral to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as reflected in Goal 10: Reduce inequalities within and among nations in order to advance equity in social development as well as economic and environmental development. One of the objectives of this book is to explore the contextual perspective of the definition of social inequality, its characteristics, causes and consequences. Comparative scenarios between two or more different counties or regions are also welcome. Community Well-being: Community well-being continues to be of interest and is being included in a variety of studies across a range of disciplines. The definition, scope, characteristics and its importance are extensive depending again on the country and its context although there are some commonalities. Community well-being is the combination of social, economic, environmental, cultural, and political conditions identified by individuals and their communities as essential for them to flourish and fulfil their potential (Wiseman and Brasher, 2008). This book attempts to conceive the concept from a global perspective that captures diverse community and country experiences. We are open to any innovative community wellbeing approach that is practiced by organizations in a particular community at a small scale but may also have wider applications for regional and global learning. Topics about the measurement of community well-being across communities, regions, nations and political systems are important for international readers. Quality of Life: Quality of life is possibly one of the most trending issues of study currently. It is a multidimensional concept with a complex causality of the mutual bonds of its components (variables) that enable us to grasp, describe and measure the complexity of social and economic reality in the current period of late modernity (Murgaš and Klobučník, 2017). The major components of quality of life include health, material comforts, personal safety, relationships, learning, creative expression, opportunity to help and encourage others, participation in public affairs, socializing, and leisure. Quality of life has different panoramas and is inherently interdisciplinary bringing together interests from health and social sciences. Debate on whether the scope of this concept has universal acceptance heightens interest. It is also argued that many countries and organizations have developed specific indicators of quality of life, but the application of these indicators may not always fit context and overall socioeconomic, cultural and political conditions. This book will explore such contextual perspectives of quality of life with appropriate contextual examples. We will also seek to provide discussion of the connections and differences between global indicators of quality of life and how countries’ quality-of-life index varies. Connecting Social (in)equality, community well-being and quality of life: We seek chapters on the relationship between social (in)equality, community well-being and quality of life. Social equality is an important term for social well-being and for influencing quality of life and viceversa. Though there is not definitive clarity about this relationship, it emerges as an important issue adjacent to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Literature shows that social inequality has a vital influence on achieving community well-being, which in turn impacts quality of life. Exploring these relationships will provide insights for academics, researchers, policy makers and development practitioners. Timeline and Process Chapter Proposal submission date: October 30, 2020 Full paper submission date: January 15, 2021 Tentative publication date: Fall 2021 We are pleased to invite scholars, researchers, policy makers, environment and social scientists and specialists to contribute a chapter on the above title/subject. The first step is to submit an abstract for your proposed chapter by October 30, 2020. Please note proposals and chapters submitted will undergo peer review. Send your abstract of no more than 400 words along with three to five keywords and a short bio of the author(s). Send to rezauldu@gmail.com and cc to rphillips@purdue.edu and pkraeger@georgiasouthern.edu. Edited by: M. Rezaul Islam, Ph.D., University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, rezauldu@gmail.com Patsy Kraeger, Ph.D., Georgia Southern University, USA, pkraeger@georgiasouthern.edu Rhonda Phillips, Ph.D., Purdue University, USA, rphillips@purdue.edu

"Psychosocial experiences of African migrants in six European countries. A mixed method study. " NEW Book from member: Prof Erhabor Idemudia

Jill Johnson — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 18:46:46 GMT

Dear Sir/Madam

I write to inform you as a member of ISQoLS that a new book (below) authored by myself and Prof Boehnke (Germany) is out. It is an open access book. It should be placed in the ISQoLS news. Thank you.

Idemudia, E. S. & Boehnke, K. (2020). Psychosocial experiences of African migrants in six European countries. A mixed method study. Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-48347-0

Prof ES Idemudia

Our most recent publications:

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02673843.2020.1779762

https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/AKUQESE9HBTXVF8VHS4K/full?target=10.1080/14330237.2020.1712805

Erhabor S. IDEMUDIA, (M Sc., PhD Clinical Psych; B Sc (Hons) Psych); FNPA, FWCP; FNACP.

Professor of Research (Social Science Cluster)

Faculty of the Human Sciences, North-West University (MC), Private Bag X2046, Mmbatho, 2735, South Africa.

erhabor.idemudia@nwu.ac.za

Physical/Courier Address:

Building A6, (Great Hall), Rm G 03,

North-West University (Mafikeng),

Albert Luthuli/University Drive,

Mmabatho 2735, South Africa

Phone: +27-18-389-2899/ Cell: +27-72-795-3933/

Visiting Professor, Jacobs University, Bremen.

s.idemudia@jacobs-university.de

+49.1521.0357.124

Visiting Scholar, Department of Psychology, Semel Institute, UCLA, USA

Visiting Professor, Covenant University, Nigeria

Fellow/Alumnus, AvH Foundation, Germany

NRF Established Rated Scientist, RSA

2015 Georg-Forster Life-Time Achievement Awardee

2020 VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING (IN GREEK), 12 AUGUST 2020, 11 AM –2 PM EEST. SUBJECT: “CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING AND PERSPECTIVES ON ITS ENHANCEMENT"

Jill Johnson — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 17:52:14 GMT

Dear Colleagues,

A member of your society, I would like to inform you that I am organizing a one-day scientific symposiumconference on 2020 VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM ON CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING (IN GREEK), 12 AUGUST 2020, 11 AM –2 PM EEST. SUBJECT: “CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING AND PERSPECTIVES ON ITS ENHANCEMENT"- (please see attachments). I would also like to ask whether it would be possible attachments to pass the to the society’s membership. My thinking is that some might find it attractive and relevant to their research interests.

http://www.childrenwelfaresm.com/en/events

My kindest regards,
Leriou Eirini

C.W. - SMILE _ Invitation to attend (1).pdf

JULY E-NEWS

Jill Johnson — Tue, 28 Jul 2020 20:44:44 GMT

July 2020 ISQOLS News -- check your inbox or read it here! VERY important updates regarding our upcoming Virtual Conference : https://conta.cc/2Er2GVm

Age and Life Satisfaction: Getting Control Variables under Control

Jill Johnson — Fri, 26 Jun 2020 23:34:06 GMT

Age and Life Satisfaction: Getting Control Variables under Control

David Bartram

Researchers investigating the relationship between age and life satisfaction have produced conflicting answers, via disputes over whether to include individual-level control variables in regression models. Most scholars believe there is a ‘U-shaped’ relationship, with life satisfaction falling towards middle age and subsequently rising. This position emerges mainly in research that uses control variables (for example, for income and marital status). This approach is incorrect. Regression models should control only ‘confounding’ variables; that is, variables that are causally prior to the dependent variable and the core independent variable of interest. Other individual-level variables cannot determine one’s age; they are not confounders and should not be controlled. This article applies these points to data from the World Values Survey. A key finding is that there is at best a negligible post-middle-age rise in life satisfaction – and the important implication is that there cannot then be a U-shaped relationship between age and life satisfaction.

Call for Papers for the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies Sponsored Session at the Community Indicators Consortium 2020 Virtual Impact Summit

Jill Johnson — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 21:06:37 GMT

Call for Papers for the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies Sponsored Session at the Community Indicators Consortium 2020 Virtual Impact Summit

August 3-7, 2020

The Community Indicators Consortium 2020 Virtual Impact Summit will showcase how data and community indicators are or can be used to foster opportunity, catalyze change and advance community resilience.

ISQOLS is seeking to sponsor a session with a series of presentations on measures of Quality-of-Life from an academic perspective. Professional practitioners within the Community Indicators Consortium are interested in hearing about new or promising QOL indicators supported by quality research, where the correlations between the indicator(s) and overall quality-of-life, including sustainability and wellbeing, are strong, as well as insight on how apply these indices in a real-world setting.

ISQOLS will sponsor the conference fees for accepted presenters.

We are seeking a session chair as well as 4 presenters for this session.

Please send a 350-word abstract to office@isqols.org by July 3^rd.

The Importance Life and Job Satisfaction; By Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D.

Jill Johnson — Sat, 30 May 2020 16:10:02 GMT

The Importance Life and Job Satisfaction

By Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D.

Utah Valley University

Human Capital Innovations, LLC

The level of satisfaction that workers feel and obtain through work is directly correlated to their overall sense of life satisfaction, which leads to a variety of positive individual, organizational, and societal outcomes (Böckerman & Ilmakunnas, 2012; Petty et al. 1984).

As Buetell (2006) argues, “Life satisfaction is an overall assessment of feelings and attitudes about one’s life at a particular point in time, ranging from negative to positive.” Happiness or life satisfaction is the degree to which an individual determines the overall quality of his/her life (Life Satisfaction). As Diener et al. note (1985), “three separate components of subjective well-being have been identified: positive affect, negative affect, and life satisfaction” (71). Pavot and Diener (1990) also state, “Life satisfaction refers to a judgmental process. In which individuals assess the quality of their lives on the basis of their own unique set of criteria” (164). Additionally, the positive or negative view that we have on our own lives has substantial impact on each of us (Yamasaki et al. 2011).

For years, economists and social scientists have used gross domestic product (GDP) as the standard metric for measuring the success and health of a country (e.g., Snyder 1936; How Do We Measure ‘Standard of Living’ 2015). However, GDP falls quite short in measuring the social wellness of a country because it fails to take into account subjective well-being in response to economic activity in a country (Easterlin 1974). Measures of subjective well-being can only be gathered through surveying/interviewing individuals about their own unique feelings towards their life and circumstance.

Figure 1: Global Comparison Life Satisfaction, 2014

Source: World Values Survey

Figure 2: Global Comparison Job Satisfaction, 2015

Source: International Social Survey Programme

Based on extensive research into work and life satisfaction, it is clear that various intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in the workplace environment have a significant impact on improving the overall job satisfaction of workers, as well as the life satisfaction of citizens in a country (Westover, 2016). Extrinsic and Intrinsic factors of motivation can play a key role in predicting the overall level of job satisfaction in a country because they help determine why and how an employee is driven and finds meaning and value in work. This is consistent with the findings of many studies that show there is a direct correlation between employee motivation and satisfaction, which in turn increases employee performance (e.g., Tietjen et al. 1998; Locke et al. 1990; Roos et al. 2008).

While we see different countries involved in the World Values Survey and the International Social Survey Programme, from the figures above, we can see that the countries with the highest job satisfaction also have the highest life satisfaction. In regards to job satisfaction, additional research has shown that in countries where employees most frequently mention extrinsic factors as important aspects of a job have a lower job and life satisfaction, whereas in countries where most workers frequently mention intrinsic factors as important aspects of a job have a higher job and life satisfaction (Westover, 2016).

The brief results presented and referenced herein can be used by businesses and corporations in order to help increase employee motivation, job satisfaction, and employee life satisfaction by identifying and making changes to the different extrinsic and intrinsic motivators within their workplace environment. This insight can also be usitlized by government employees and policy makers in order to determine the best and worst causes and effects of certain public policy implementations on life satisfaction and worker satisfaction.

References:

Böckerman, P., & Ilmakunnas, P. (2012). “The Job Satisfaction-Productivity Nexus: A Study Using Matched Survey and Register Data.” ILR Review 65 (2): 244–62. doi:10.1177/001979391206500203.

BostonFed. How Do We Measure ‘Standard of Living.’ Accessed May 17, 2016. https://www.bostonfed.org/-/media/Documents/ledger/ledger2003/measure.pdf

Buetell, N. (2006). Life satisfaction, a Sloan Work and Family Encyclopedia entry. Retrieved May 10, 2007, from the Sloan Work and Family Research Network website: http://wfnetwork.bc.edu.

Diener, E. D., Robert A. Emmons, Randy J. Larsen, & Sharon Griffin. (1985). “The Satisfaction with Life Scale.” Journal of Personality Assessment 49 (1): 71–5.

Easterlin, R. A. (1974). “Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence.” In Nations and Households in Economic Growth, edited by P. A. David and M. W. Reder, 89–125. Philadelphia: Elsevier.

Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P.. (1990). “Work Motivation and Satisfaction: Light at the End of the Tunnel.” Psychological Science 1 (4): 240–6. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.1990.tb00207.x.

Snyder, C. (1936). “The Capital Supply and National Well-Being.” The American Economic Review 26 (2): 195–224.

Pavot, W., Diener, E. D., & Fujita, F. (1990). Extraversion and happiness. Personality and individual differences, 11(12), 1299-1306.

Petty, M. M., Mcgee, G. W., & Cavender, J. W. (1984). “A Meta-Analysis of the Relationships between Individual Job Satisfaction and Individual Performance.” The Academy of Management Review 9 (4): 712–21. doi:10.2307/258493.

Roos, W., & Eeden, R. V.. (2008). “The Relationship between Employee Motivation, Job Satisfaction and Corporate Culture.” SA Journal of Industrial Psychology 34 (1): 54–63. doi:10.4102/sajip.v34i1.420.

Tietjen, M. A., & Myers, R. M. (1998). “Motivation and Job Satisfaction.” Management Decision 36 (4): 226–31. doi:10.1108/ 00251749810211027.

Westover, J. .H. (2016). “The International Political Economy of Worker Satisfaction: A Cross-national HLM Analysis.” Evidence-based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship 4 (3): 116-143.

Yamasaki, K., Sasaki, M., Uchida, K., & Katsuma, L. (2011). “Effects of Positive and Negative Affect and Emotional Suppression on Short-term Life Satisfaction.” Psychology, Health & Medicine 16 (3): 313–22. doi:10.1080/13548506.2011.554564.

*This is adapted from an article originally published in The Global Studies Journal. For full article see: Eskildsen, B., Light, J. Westover, J.H., & Carlisle, K. (2017). "Shifting Comparative Job and Life Satisfaction across the Globe, 1995–2014." The Global Studies Journal 10 (2): 21-39. doi:10.18848/1835-4432/CGP/v10i02/21-39.

Author Bio: Jonathan H. Westover (Ph.D., University of Utah, USA) is an Associate Professor of Organizational Leadership and department chair in the Woodbury School of Business (UVU), Academic Director of the UVU Center for Social Impact and the UVU SIMLab, and Faculty Fellow for Ethics in Public Life (previously the Associate Director) in the Center for the Study of Ethics. He also is an experienced OD/HR/Leadership consultant (Human Capital Innovations, LLC), with experience transforming organizations across the globe. Dr. Westover has been published widely in academic journals, books, magazines, and in popular and professional media locally, nationally, and abroad (such as Forbes, The Economist, U.S. News and World Report, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and USA Today). He has also been extensively quoted and cited as a management expert in popular press nationally and abroad.

Member publication: Teaching Quality of Life in Different Domains by Graciela Tonon

Jill Johnson — Fri, 29 May 2020 21:50:42 GMT

Teaching Quality of Life in Different Domains

Editors: Tonon, Graciela (Ed.)

The aim of this book is to present proposals to teach quality of life in different field. It is organized in 15 chapters, each of them dedicated to different fields.

In Chapter 1 the editor presents the proposition of quality of life (theoretical/methodological) as a possibility to construct a new outlook on the social field studies and to propose a course that includes the vision of quality of life in a Master/PhD Program in Social Sciences. In Chapter 2, Dan Weijers discusses the methods, topics, and perspectives that characterize a philosophical approach to teaching well-being or quality of life and concludes with some suggestions on how to harness the subject matter in a way that creates an engaging undergraduate-level course on well-being and quality of life.Tobia Fattore in Chapter 3 examines different ways in which well-being and quality of life can be used as pedagogical concepts for teaching Sociology. The chapter begins with a first overview of key philosophical traditions in quality-of-life research for introducing some foundational sociological theories and ways of undertaking social research. In Chapter 4, Daniel T. L. Shek, Xiaoqin Zhu, Diya Dou, Moon Y.M. Law, Lu Yu, Cecilia M.S. Ma, and Li Lin present two programs in response to the results of the research studies that showed worsening mental health conditions such as rising depression and suicidal rates, the increase of adolescent egocentrism, and the declined of empathy and sense of social responsibility among university students. To promote holistic development and quality of life in undergraduate students, two credit-bearing leadership subjects were presented. Chapter 5 is dedicated to the teaching of quality of life in relation with the capability approach. Paul Anand offers new insights into how the capability approach can now make a systematic and transformative contribution to higher education teaching focused on quality of life. In Chapter 6, written by Takashi Inoguchi, the author describes how political science courses on quality of life may be organized with a syllabus that consists of the following six sections: people’s satisfaction with daily life, people’s approval of government conducts especially economic policy, parents’ propensity to nurture their children norms and values, QOL and confidence in institutions, QOL-based societal profiling or typology of Asian societies, and Applying QOL studies in Sustainable Development Goals. Don R. Rahtz, M. Joseph Sirgy, Stephan Grzeskowiak, and Dong-Jin Lee examine in Chapter 7 different ways in which quality-of-life concepts can be integrated into existing marketing coursework. The ultimate goal is to increase the likelihood that students would embrace a QOL orientation in the practice of marketing. The final section ends with a set of suggestions for moving the acceptance of the broader use of QOL-related concepts in marketing departments, the business academy. Chapter 8 was written by Filomena Maggino who presents the case of a post-master program dedicated to the training of statisticians in the field of quality of life. In Chapter 9, Jon Hall comments how statisticians, economists, and policy makers around the world are working to design and use alternative measures of human progress. This chapter discusses some of the ways in which education and training can foster and support this work. In Chapter 10, Jorge Guardiola proposes Nonviolent Economics as a path for achieving quality of life, presenting an experience of addressing quality of life in an Economic Policy course. Matías Popovsky in Chapter 11 presents the importance of teaching quality of life using online education, which means conducting a course partially or entirely through the Internet and presents a model for online courses and degree programs. Javier Martinez in Chapter 12 presents an approach for teaching and learning quality of life in urban studies. It is contextualized within two higher education courses in an MSc specialization on Urban Planning and Management with a group of international students in the last 10 years. Chapter 13 is dedicated on the teaching of quality of life and well-being in Public Health. Chelsea Wesner, Diana Feldhacker, and Whitney Lucas Molitor propose the social ecological model of health as an organizing framework, considering that it is an innovative and integrated approach to teaching that aims to create quality learning experiences. Chapter 14 by Diane E. Mack, Philip M. Wilson, Caitlin Kelley, and Jennifer Mooradian presents how to teach well-being within the context of sports through four evidence-based modules. At the end the chater focuses on distinct groups of athletes including sport participants living with physical and intellectual disabilities, athletes undergoing injury rehabilitation, and current/former athletes transitioning beyond sport. Finally in Chapter 15, Sabirah Adams, Shazly Savahl, Maria Florence, Kyle Jackson, Donnay Manuel, Mulalo Mpilo, and Deborah Isobell aim to briefly sketch the extent of quality-of-life research relating to children in South Africa and to propose a syllabus for training emerging researchers in conducting QoL research.

The three grant studies provide data in support of the sensitivity to treatment-related changes on the part of the Quality-of-Life-Inventory.

Jill Johnson — Fri, 29 May 2020 21:32:47 GMT

Colleagues,

A grant study (Carroll et al., 2020) with a control group was just published under the Journal of Behavioral Medicine . Quality-of-Life-Therapy was used to improve positive emotions among patients with cardio-implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs). This is the 3^rd grant-supported study with a control group (Rodrigue, Baz et al. 2005, Rodrigue, Mandel, et al. 2005). Quality-of-Life-Therapy meets the clinical psychology criteria summarized by Kazdin for an evidence-based intervention (Frisch, 2016), and Seligman agrees: it has “good empirical validation” (Seligman, 2011; Rashid and Seligman, 2014). The three grant studies provide data in support of the sensitivity to treatment-related changes on the part of the Quality-of-Life-Inventory.

Mike

Download here:

J Behav Med.pdf

Frisch 2016.pdf

References

Abedi, M.R. and Vostanis, P. (2010). Evaluation of Quality of Life Therapy for parents of children with obsessive-compulsive disorders in Iran. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Carroll, A.J., Christon, L.M., Rodrigue, J.R., Fava, J.L., Frisch, M.B, & Serber, E.R. (2020). Implementation, feasibility, and acceptability of Quality-of-Life-Therapy to improve positive emotions among patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators. Journal of Behavior Medicine, in press and online 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-020-00153-2 .

Clark, D.A. (2006). Foreword. In M.B. Frisch, Quality-of-Life-Therapy (pp. xi-x). Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Frisch, M. B. (2006). Quality-of-Life-Therapy. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

Frisch, M.B. (2009). Quality-of-Life-Inventory Handbook: A Guide for Laypersons, Clients, and Coaches. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson and Pearson Assessments.

Frisch, M.B. (2016), Quality-of-Life-Therapy, In A.M. Wood and J. Johnson (Eds.), The Wiley Handbook of Positive Clinical Psychology, New York: John Wiley & Sons.

Frisch, M. B., Clark, M. P., Rouse, S. V., Rudd, M. D., Paweleck, J., & Greenstone, A. (2005). Predictive and treatment validity of life satisfaction and the Quality-of-Life-Inventory. Assessment, 12, 66–78.

Kazdin, A. E. (2006). Arbitrary metrics: Implications for identifying evidence-based treatments. American Psychologist, 61(1), 42-49.

Land, K. C. (2006). Quality of Life Therapy for All!: A review of Frisch’s approach to positive psychology, Quality of Life Therapy. SINET (Social Indicators Network News), 85, 1-4.

Rashid, T. and Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Positive psychotherapy. In D. Wedding and R. Corsini (Eds.). Current Psychotherapies (10^th Ed.)..

Rodrigue, J.R. Mandelbrot, D.A., and Pavlakis, M. (2011). A psychological intervention to improve quality of life and reduce psychological distress in adults awaiting kidney transplantation. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 26(2): 709-715.

Rodrigue, J.R., Widows, M.R., & Baz, M.A. (2006). Caregivers of patients awaiting lung transplantation: Do they benefit when the patient is receiving psychological services, Progress in Transplantation, 16, 336-342.

Rodrigue, J. R., Baz, M.A., Widows, M.R. , & Ehlers, S.L. (2005). “A Randomized Evaluation of Quality of Life Therapy with Patients Awaiting Lung Transplantation”. American Journal of Transplantation, 5, 2425-2432.

Seligman, M. E. P. (2011). Flourish. New York: Free Press.

___________________________________________________

Mike Frisch

Retired Professor of Psychology

Baylor University

Website: http://sites.baylor.edu/michael_b_frisch

Call for Papers for the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research (VYPR) 2021 Special Issue on “Demographic Aspects of Human Wellbeing”

Jill Johnson — Fri, 29 May 2020 20:48:50 GMT

Dear colleagues,

As most of you might already know from the newsletters and e-mails via IUSSP, EAPS and others, the Call for Papers for the Vienna Yearbook of Population Research (VYPR) 2021 Special Issue on “Demographic Aspects of Human Wellbeing” is open now.

We want to draw the attention of all oral and poster presenters as well as of all submitters of papers for the WIC 2019 Conference to this call and kindly invite you to submit your papers until 31 March 2020.

The VYPR is an open-access journal that has been published annually by the Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences since 2003. It is addressing population trends as well as a broad range of theoretical and methodological issues in population research. Examples of topics for the Special Issue include:

· Life expectancy based indicators of wellbeing

· (Economic) wellbeing over the life course and over time

· Demographic differentials/inequalities in wellbeing

· Wellbeing and intergenerational support

· Feedbacks from environmental change to human wellbeing

Further details concerning submissions can be found here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/fileadmin/subsites/Institute/VID/PDF/Publications/VYPR/Guidelines_for_Authors.pdf

General information on the VYPR as well as on the current call: www.viennayearbook.org

We kindly ask you to share this Call for Papers with your network and encourage you to submit your own manuscript by 31 March 2020.

With kind regards

Raya Muttarak

Raya Muttarak, DPhil
Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital (Univ. Vienna, IIASA, VID/ÖAW)
Deputy Program Director, World Population Program
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
Schlossplatz 1, A-2361 Laxenburg, Austria
Phone : +43 2236 807 329
Fax: +43 2236 71 313
Email: muttarak@iiasa.ac.at, raya.muttarak@oeaw.ac.at

VYPR_Call_for_Papers.pdf

Congratulations to Masood A. Badri on the completion of the ISQOLS Certification in Quality-of-Life Research: Related to Community Indicators Projects

Jill Johnson — Fri, 29 May 2020 18:46:02 GMT

Congratulations to Masood A. Badri on the completion of the ISQOLS Certification in Quality-of-Life Research: Related to Community Indicators Projects!

Learn more about the Certification program: Certification Program

What made you decide to pursue the Community Indicators Researcher Certificate course?

I think this course is the only one that I found that focuses on the process of planning, developing, and implementing community QOL indicators from start to finish. I could not believe it that I could get such a rich experience (online) and at my pace. Having an engineering background, but currently serving as Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development (DCD) Chairman, my role requires to be close to towns, cities, and regions with all their specific categories. Reading through the mission of the Community Indicators Researcher Certificate, I was certain, I found what I am looking for.

How would you describe the course experience?

Reading through the cases, was the richest experience. The cases were picked so intelligently. They covered the whole spectrum of QOL. I though after analyzing the first case, that the second one would be same and easier to analyze; but the second one was (another world) completely different. It required a completely different way of thinking. To be honest, I could not wait for the third case; I was write, it was a movie full of drama, mystery, and action. totally amazing. It enforces the notion that you cannot just copy what other countries or cities have done. It requires looking at unique settings to design QOL indicators.

How long did it take you to complete this certificate program? How many hours per week (on average) did you dedicate to the program? Were you able to balance your normal work/life activities alongside this certificate program?

I do not think it is a matter of how many hours per week it took me to complete the course. Reading the manual took me only few hours, and reading each case took me like 2 hours on the average. However, I was stopping even after each paragraph to see the insights presented. It becomes a matter of passion, and hence, you lose counting hours. For example, I was working on the second case, and suddenly my daughter told me, "you have been with this case the whole day". Honestly I lost the perception of time completely. I missed a very important meeting, but I am not to blame. Reading and analyzing each case required that I live the circumstances and the facts. Time had no significance in my case. I need to add too that reading each case gave more passion to dig deeper into the web searching for related sources. Time had no value, especially when land on a (specific site) related to the case but with more details and insights. Such experience lets a person forget about time completely.

How did this certificate program impact and/or increase your knowledge of your field of study?

I have attended many conferences, and workshops around the world on QOL. Usually, the sessions or presentations reflect a specific part of the project or outcome. But each of the cases presented in the certification program provided the whole picture from start until end. Each case posed questions of (why?), and (why not). Each case made me go deeper into the (circumstances) and the (realities). The cases presented (hard) realities that copying the best of what other countries or cites have done is not the way. The cases force the (dedicated) analyst to look deeper into the communities with its unique features and settings. I am in charge of the QOL survey in Abu Dhabi, this unique experience gave the in-depth understanding of the whole process. It gave me many ideas that I would implement to enrich my understanding of the whole process.

Would you recommend this certificate to others? If yes, why?

The ISQOLS Certification in Quality-of-Life Research program is designed to enrich researchers to better grasp the full understanding of their specializing in community indicators projects. I consider my experience in this program as additional rich training in all aspects of the matter. Now, and with complete pride, I say that I AM OFFICIALLY CERTIFIED IN QOL. I always wanted to say that. But I say it now with PRIDE.

‘Humanitarian Work, Social Change and Human behavior’. Compassion for Change

Jill Johnson — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 03:58:30 GMT

Scope Book 2 (Springer/Palgrave Macmillan. Publication June 2020)

‘Humanitarian Work, Social Change and Human behavior’. Compassion for Change

https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030458775

This Book ‘Humanitarian Work, Social Change and Human behavior’ is based on the understanding that human existence is a composite of four layers: mind, heart, body and soul. These four elements are constantly interacting with each other. Each chapter component reflects one of these four layers of human existence, which underpin an innovative methodology that will be introduced in these pages. By combining theory and praxis the objective is to make the reader understand (thought), feel (emotion), experience (sensation) and share (aspiration) the content of ‘Humanitarian work, social change and human behaviour’ first-hand.

The book points out some of the reasons for the insufficient progress made by development and humanitarian aid. It offers arguments why non-profit institutions whose justification is to help, must begin by help their staff help themselves. Organizations with an inspiring social mission must practice internally what they preach internally. Whether these organizations life up to the inspirational potential that goes with their mandate, is conditioned by their ability to place the aspiration of their staff for meaning at the center of action, internally and externally. It is shown how the proposed paradigm shift can be started, expanded and maintained, from individuals to institutions and vice-versa. The outline of Compassion for Change (C4C), proposes a concrete way for using the paradigm-shift that this book is based up to transform the internal culture of humanitarian and development organizations; in order to reanimate and expand their external influence.

The first chapter illustrates the inside-out logic that this book is based upon, while also introducing the story of the author. This chapter will demonstrate the causes and consequences of a novel approach whose logic and added value is presented in the subsequent chapters. Chapter two introduces the theoretical underpinning of the approach, and its benefits. Chapter three focuses on the outside-in dynamic. This chapter offers links to the status quo of the humanitarian and development aid sector, with proposed elements for change. The fourth and final chapter summarizes the principle of the continuum between, and within, the four layers that the methodology is based upon; it facilitates the practical application through schematization and hereby rationalization. Each chapter includes exercises for the reader to apply the proposed theoretical insights in their own context, and to share what they have acquired with others.

Cornelia C. Walther, PhD

Tel + 1 347 845 37 90

Affiliations: Deakin University, UNICEF, POZE Network

Location: New York

Development, Humanitarian Aid and Social Welfare. Social Change from the inside Out

Jill Johnson — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 03:57:35 GMT

Synopsis of upcoming books

Scope Book 1 (Springer/Palgrave Macmillan. Publication May 2020)

Development, Humanitarian Aid and Social Welfare. Social Change from the inside Out

https://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9783030426095

This book seeks to examine the way in which human behavior is shaped by our emotions, thoughts and aspirations, and vice-versa, how the resulting experiences impact ourselves, others and the World.

Based on an analysis of these interactions, it seeks to offer practical solutions to systematically induce social change dynamics, which are sustainable overtime. With a case study from Port-au-Prince (Haiti) as illustration, this book also examines the interplay of the individual with the culture, socio-economical and political context of his/her environment, and the causes and consequences that these factors engender along the path of personal and collective evolution. Put another way, this book sheds light on individual aspirations as the core of personal empowerment, which in turn lies at the center of community, national and, by consequence global, prosperity.

The book explains how social change, in addition to economic and political transformation at the macro-level, begins with a mind-shift at the micro-level. National resilience is anchored in individual resilience; which is rooted in the individual’s personal aspiration to meaning. Connecting to this aspiration unlocks the person’s ability to overcome political and economic challenges, violence and poverty, and to thrive despite them, by proactively taking charge. The book establishes the missing link between investments in personal empowerment and collective welfare. One nurtures the other once they are pursued in a holistic understanding of shared value, and shared responsibility. Thus, individuals who consciously seek the best interest of others end up benefiting from better quality of life, physically, mentally and emotionally.

The theoretical foundation of this book is the concept of a ‘body-mind-heart-soul connection’, collected from various conceptual frameworks and traditions, which is used to examine the multi-faceted dimensions of stress, subjective wellbeing and collective progress. Through an innovative multidisciplinary approach, this book aims to counter the noticeable shortcomings in the discursive representations of development and non-profit communication, and to contribute a more balanced examination of the narratives about and the impact of meaning and critical mindsets in people’s lives and experiences.

This book looks at the micro-, meso, macro and meta-levels of social change: It theorizes and challenges the ‘figure’ of individuals as passive onlookers of their situation, in particular in fragile states that are traditionally portrayed as basket-cases of charity, and offers ways towards a shift in mindsets, from victimization to personal power. Seeing the significant potential of non-profit organizations (non-governmental organizations, United Nations, Foundations, bi and multilateral funds) dedicated to social causes, to drive social change, this book looks then at the factors that hinder organizations from living up to the inspiring mission that is often enshrined in their mandate, and tools to shape the prevailing institutional culture. Finally, it looks at facts that influence public opinions, as building blocks of social norms that condone a globalized bystander syndrome in the face of inequality; and proposes practices to shape decision-making architectures that are conducive to inclusive decision-making.

Situated within the study of resilience, the nexus of development and humanitarian aid, education and societal adaptation within contemporary global and local contexts, this book makes the case for an alternative path to sustainable change and hereby an inclusive society. Based on the premise that an equitable society is to the benefit of everyone, in the book it is argued that efforts made in the interest of others have benefits at three levels – for the individual who acts, the one who has been acted for, and wider society.

Cornelia C. Walther, PhD

Tel + 1 347 845 37 90

Affiliations: Deakin University, UNICEF, POZE Network

Location: New York

The value of immunotherapy for survivors of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer: patient perspectives on quality of life

Jill Johnson — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 02:31:18 GMT

The value of immunotherapy for survivors of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer: patient perspectives on quality of life

Rebekah Park& James W. Shaw & Alix Korn & Jacob McAuliffe

The aim of this study was to examine what personally mattered to 24 patients who received immuno-oncology (IO) therapy for stage IV non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC),as well as their families and friends,to understand how they evaluated their cancer treatments and the determinants of the quality of life (QoL) of long-term survivors. Methods Ethnographic research was conducted with 24 patients who had responded to IO (pembrolizumab, nivolumab, atezolizumab, or durvalumab) for stage IV NSCLC, and their families and friends, evenly split among field sites in Denmark, the USA, and the UK. Data were collected using in-depth qualitative interviews, written exercises, and participant observation. Data analysis methods included interpretative phenomenological analysis, coding, and the development of grounded theory. Researchers spent 2 days with participants in their homes and accompanied them on health-related outings. Results Our findings reveal that long-term survivors on IO experienced their journey in two phases: one in which their cancer had taken over their lives mentally, physically, and spiritually, and another in which their cancer consumed only a part of their everyday lives. Patients who survived longer than their initial prognosis existed in a limbo state in which they were able to achieve some semblance of normalcy in spite of being identified as having a terminal condition. This limbo state impacted their life priorities, decision-making, experience of patient support, and health information-seeking behaviors, all of which shaped their definitions and experience of QoL. Conclusions The results of this study,which identify the specific challenges of living in limbo,where patients are able to reclaim a portion of their pre-cancer lives while continuing to wrestle with a terminal prognosis, may inform how cancer research can more effectively define and measure the QoL impacts of IO treatments. Also, they may identify approaches that the cancer community can use to support the needs of patients living in a limbo state.These experiences may not be adequately understood by the cancer community or captured by existing QoL measures, which were designed prior to the emergence ofI O and without sufficient incorporation of contextual, patient-driven experience. Implications for Cancer Survivors Increased awareness of the specific experiences that come with long-term survival on IO may directhowresourcesshouldbespentforcancersupportforpatientsandtheirfamilies.ExpandinghowQoLisevaluatedbasedon patients’ lived experiences of IO can reflect a more accurate depiction of the treatment’s benefits and harms.

read article here:

Park, Shaw et al. LWLC. J Cancer Surv 2020.pdf

Life Satisfaction and International Migration: a Field Theoretic Measurement Model

Jill Johnson — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 02:16:11 GMT

Life Satisfaction and International Migration: a Field Theoretic Measurement Model

By Georg P. Mueller

Journal: Applied Research in Quality of Life Studies

This article explores the use of migration data for the measurement of life satisfaction as an alternative to data collection by standardized interviews. It starts with the development of a field theoretic model of the impact of life satisfaction on international migration, which is subsequently reversed such that it explains life satisfaction by means of migration data. Empirical tests with data about the migration from Poland to other European countries confirm the main hypotheses of the model. However, the accuracy of ex-post predictions about the quality of life of a target country depends on the number of earlier (Polish) immigrants, who are a source of information for others considering to emigrate. Thus, under certain conditions the model may be used for imputing the life satisfaction of countries for which the respective information is missing. The model is even useful if the information for model calibration is completely missing: the article shows how in this situation migration data may be used for ranking countries with regard to their not directly measurable life satisfaction.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11482-020-09822-5

Call for books: Community Quality of Life and Well-Being

Jill Johnson — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 01:51:45 GMT

Community Quality of Life and Well-Being

Publish your next book in this series!

Series Editor: Rhonda Phillips Editorial Board: Meg Holden, Simon Fraser University, Canada; Charlotte Khan, The Boston Foundation, US; Youngwha Kee, Soongsil University, Korea; Alex Michalos, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada; Don Rahtz, College of William and Mary, US; Joseph Sirgy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, US.

Aims and Scope Community Quality of Life and Well-being is a book series comprised of volumes related to local and regional level research, providing current and leading edge information to planners, policy makers, and quality of life researchers involved in community and regional well-being research and application. Formerly entitled Community Quality-of-Life Indicators: Best Practices, the series reflects the broad scope of well-being. In addition to best practices of community quality-of-life indicators projects the series welcomes a variety of research and practice topics as related to overall community well-being and quality of life dimensions, relating to policy, application, research, and/or practice. Research on issues such as societal happiness, quality of life domains in the policy construct, measuring and gauging progress, dimensions of urban and regional planning and community development, and related topics are anticipated.

This series is published by Springer in partnership with the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS), a global society with the purpose of promoting and encouraging research and collaboration in quality of life and well-being theory and applications. More information about ISQOLS can be found at www.isqols.org. The Editor welcomes proposals for both edited volumes and authored monographs contributions on topics such as:

Quality of Life in Communities Societal Happiness Social Health and Well-Being Life Satisfaction in various life domains Well-Being Theories and Applications Quality of Life for Policy Development Measuring and Gauging Quality of Life Dimensions of Planning and Community Development Indicators of Well-Being Overall Community Well-Being

We look forward to receiving your book proposal

Please contact Series Editor Rhonda Phillips:

rphillips@purdue.edu For more information and a proposal form for submitting a proposal for the series:

http://www.springer.com/series/13761

A Global Scientific Community? Universalism Versus National Parochialism in Patterns of International Communication in Sociology

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 23:33:40 GMT

A Global Scientific Community? Universalism Versus National Parochialism in Patterns of International Communication in Sociology

by Max Haller

The paper starts from the thesis that unhindered international communication is a central characteristic of modern science. Second, the paper argues that scientific progress cannot be defined unequivocally in the social sciences. Four structures inhibit free international communication (linguistic barriers, the size of a national sociological community, the quality of scientific research, and the influence of specific sociologists and their schools). Third, three kinds of data are used to investigate the relevance of these factors: The participation in international congresses, the quotation patterns in major sociological journals and the reasons for the exceptional success of three sociologists, from the USA, France and Germany, respectively. Finally, a short hint toward the development of sociology outside the Western world is given. The paper concludes with some reflections on strategies to change the one-sided, asymmetrical communication in sociology toward a more balanced pattern.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00207659.2019.1681863?needAccess=true

Thoughts about time in times of quarantine, by Lihi Lahat

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 01:59:17 GMT

Thoughts about time in times of quarantine

Lihi Lahat

During the last weeks of the Covid-19 pandemic, reality has reframed itself. It seems the only way to maintain our well-being is to focus on the present moment. Furthermore, the situation has led us to alter the way we use our time, and this suggests a more profound question – how do we want to use our time? Social scholars, economists, physicists, philosophers, and other researchers have always contemplated the riddle of time. Many studies have looked at the way different individuals and groups use their time and at trends in uses of time; thus, a considerable amount of knowledge has been accumulated. In the last two decades, researchers have noted a clear link between uses of time and quality of life. Despite this now known connection, policymakers still pay limited attention to uses of time.

A recent study I conducted with Professor Itai Sened focused on institutional structures, uses of time, and well-being. In a study published in the Journal of European Social Policy, we examined the connection between uses of time and well-being using two measurements of well-being and in two typologies of welfare regimes based on data collected in 34 countries. Our findings indicated that uses of time have an effect on well-being but are expressed differently in various welfare regimes. For example, like others, we found personal time contributed to well-being. But in three social welfare regimes, including the social-democratic one, well-being was higher, more time was devoted to personal activities, and less time was devoted to working than in three others, including an Eastern European welfare regime. In a follow-up study, funded by Israel’s National Insurance Institute, we found that different populations in Israel had diverse preferences for uses of time. For example, full-time salaried employees and self-employed workers wished to work fewer hours than they currently worked, while retirees wished to spend less time on housework and care and to devote a bit more time to paid work. Overall, our work emphasizes the importance of considering the effect of policy on uses of time and incorporating preferences for time use in policies to promote well-being.

Many studies use an objective measurement of time, what is commonly called ‘clock time’, but time has subjective and context-oriented features. Different people experience time differently; for instance, some enjoy long work hours while others do not. Moreover, each country has different, policies, regulations, and norms that affect the uses of time. France, for example, has a 35-hour official workweek. The way we use our time is vital to us as well as to our family, community, and society. Thus, it is important to continue to explore the connection between policy and uses of time in various country contexts.

The post-coronavirus reality will call for creative solutions. In light of a possible shortage of economic resources, using the available data on uses of time in different countries and reconsidering time may open up new policy alternatives. More awareness among policymakers and citizens that many of our decisions do not adequately address the way we use our time, alongside policies that will allow alternative uses of time, might improve our quality of life and well-being.

For full article see:

Lahat, L., & Sened, I. (2019). Time and Well-Being, An Institutional, Comparative Perspective. Is it Time to explore the idea of a Time Policy? Journal of European Social Policy

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0958928719891339

¹An early version of this post was published in Hebrew at the Espanet Israel website.

Lihi Lahat (Ph.D., Tel Aviv University, Israel) is a senior lecturer in the Department of Administration & Public Policy at Sapir Academic College and Affiliate Associate Professor, Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, Concordia University, Montreal. Her papers have been published in journals such as Policy Sciences, Social Policy & Administration, International Review of Administrative Sciences, Journal of Management and Governance and Poverty & Public Policy.

Community Quality of Life and Well-Being: Publish your next book in this series!

Jill Johnson — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 17:14:29 GMT

Community Quality of Life and Well-Being

Publish your next book in this series!

Quality of Life in Communities Societal Happiness Social Health and Well-Being Life Satisfaction in various life domains Well-Being Theories and Applications Quality of Life for Policy Development Measuring and Gauging Quality of Life Dimensions of Planning and Community Development Indicators of Well-Being Overall Community Well-Being

We look forward to receiving your book proposal

Please contact Series Editor Rhonda Phillips:

rphillips@purdue.edu For more information and a proposal form for submitting a proposal for the series:

http://www.springer.com/series/13761

CQoLWB Book Series Call for Proposals.pdf

ISQOLS Member Publications: Happiness in the Time of Corona

Jill Johnson — Sun, 29 Mar 2020 19:45:27 GMT

Happiness in the Time of Corona

Authors: Talita Greyling and Stephanie Rossouw

Happiness_Corona_6March_2020_fin1.pdf

Kiwis, Aussies care more about Kobe Bryant, loo paper than Covid-19.pdf

The Happiness Index of South Africa drops to unknown lows with fear being prominent.pdf

Australian Centre on Quality of Life http://www.acqol.com.au/

Jill Johnson — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 22:11:18 GMT

Australian Centre on Quality of Life http://www.acqol.com.au/

This site contains substantial resources useful to students, academics and practioners who are concerned with the science of life quality. Members also receive a weekly issue of our ‘ACQol Bulletin’ which, inter alia, includes a published paper for discussion. Past issues can be found at http://www.acqol.com.au/publications#bulletins

If you would like to register as a Member of the ACQol, please complete the membership form at http://www.acqol.com.au/members

There is no charge or other obligation attached to becoming a member. The form also provides an option to join the International Wellbeing Group. The IWbG is a Specialist Group within ACQol, whose members have an interest in the development of the Personal Wellbeing Index.

Emeritus Professor Robert A. Cummins

Director, ACQol

School of Psychology

Deakin University, Melbourne

Robert Cummins <robert.cummins@deakin.edu.au>

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS for Linking Sustainability and Happiness: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives

Jill Johnson — Sat, 28 Mar 2020 21:18:28 GMT

CALL FOR CHAPTER PROPOSALS

for

Linking Sustainability and Happiness: Theoretical and Applied Perspectives

Contracted with Springer Nature, www.springernature.com, the book will present both applied and theoretical perspectives linking sustainability and happiness. The volume will offer critical discussion, constructive insights and informed guidance for future research and applied work that can move us closer toward a sustainable future. We will open the book with a critical review of environmental, social, and economic sustainability theories and happiness principles. We will also include an overview of the biological underpinnings of happiness, mainly focused on subconscious actions that promote our own fitness. The book will then include two major parts where authors can contribute, as detailed below, followed by a concluding section.

This edited volume with all new material is planned at 12-16 chapters of original work. Chapter authors are invited from around the globe, providing a variety of theories, practices, and perspectives. There are two major parts to the volume: Part I - theories and methodologies that link sustainability and happiness (e.g., participatory research, quality of life research, sustainable development theories, asset-based community development, spirituality perspectives, and emerging theories on sustainable community development and happiness, community well-being, integrative medicine and happiness, and beauty and happiness); and Part II - applied practices meant to promote greater opportunities for happiness on the ground. Practices should also focus on simultaneously promoting sustainability. Many examples and experiences are welcomed.

Proposals are sought for all sections. Please submit your chapter proposal to me at: Scott.Cloutier@asu.edu. Proposals should include: (1) your proposed title; (2) an abstract of no more than 500 words; (3) section preference (Part I or II); (4) format type - whether short essay of up to 2500 words, or chapter length from 2500 – 8000 words; (5) your contact information; and (6) a short ½ page biography. The format for the volume will be APA style. Anticipated publication date is 2019. The due date for proposals is March 31, 2020 (decisions on proposals will be sent by April 5, 2020 with full chapters due by July 1, 2020). Chapter authors receive a copy of the book, once published. Please reach out with questions.

Scott Cloutier, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, School of Sustainability

Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85282

P: (603) 285-2296 E: Scott.Cloutier@asu.edu

DUE DATE FOR PROPOSALS

March 31^st, 2020

Call for papers for European Sociology Association’s Research Network 9 “Economic Sociology” conference in Warsaw (September 2020); session on socio-economic development, well-being and happiness

Jill Johnson — Fri, 28 Feb 2020 20:46:43 GMT

Call for papers for European Sociology Association’s Research Network 9 “Economic Sociology” conference in Warsaw (September 2020); session on socio-economic development, well-being and happiness

Dear Colleagues,

Below are: (1) Call for papers for European Sociology Association’s Research Network 9 “Economic Sociology” conference in Warsaw (September 2020), and (2) Brief description of my planned session on socio-economic development, well-being and happiness. I cordially invite you to submit the paper proposal (abstract) for my session. If interested, please use the link provided below in the official call for papers and read the session description inserted below this call. Feel free to distribute this e-mail among your potentially interested colleagues.

Regards and greetings

Krzysztof Zagorski

Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland

Dear economic sociologists,

we would like to invite you to submit abstracts for one of the 14 thematic sessions or to the general conference track of the mid-term conference in Warsaw (September 2020).

Abstract submission: April 30th, 2020
In your abstract please clearly state the research question addressed, the theoretical arguments and data/ methods used, if the paper is based on empirical research. We will review the abstracts according to whether the paper makes a comprehensive and original contribution. Submission form is available On the conference website hosted by the organisers Mikolaj Pawlak and Marta Olcon-Kubicka [LINK TO THE FORM]. On the conference website hosted by the organisers Mikolaj Pawlak and Marta Olcon-Kubicka. Please check also RN Website for more additional information: https://www.europeansociology.org/research-networks/rn09-economic-sociology.

Best

Andrea Maurer

------------------------

Session on: Socio-economic development, well-being and happiness – problems, measures, findings

Convenor: Krzysztof Zagórski

While economists more and more widely accept subjective and objective well-being as an important social goals of economic development, especially in a framework of the relatively new branch of economics, namely “happiness economics”, national income (GDP or GNP) still remains the most commonly used indicator of development. On the other hand, sociologists still relatively seldom include purely economic processes, economic growth included, as the topics that should be incorporated in sociological investigations. Several widely known social oriented indexes of human development or progress underestimate or totally neglect economic growth and other economic processes as their components. This session will discuss interrelations between economic and social as well as objective and subjective aspects of development, with special emphasize on human well-being and happiness. Three types of papers are invited: theoretical, methodological and presenting research findings on national or comparative international level.

Call for Papers - Special Issue ' Philanthropy and Community Well-Being for the International Journal of Community Well-Being Published by Springer

Jill Johnson — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 16:01:51 GMT

Call for Papers - Special Issue ' Philanthropy and Community Well-Being for the International Journal of Community Well-Being Published by Springer, https://www.springer.com/journal/42413

We are happy to announce a forthcoming special issue on Philanthropy and Community Well-Being.

Guest Editors: Patsy Kraeger, Ph.D., Georgia Southern University Rhonda G. Phillips, Ph.D., FAICP, Purdue University

Background: There is recognition that community well-being is of increasing importance and concern to those who work in and study philanthropy from scholarly and practitioner perspectives. This special issue would enable more attention and scholarship to an important area of inquiry.

The impact of philanthropy on community well-being will be explored from both objective and subjective measures in communities, public policy, and community partnerships and other related areas. We seek to explore measures of community well-being for the role of philanthropic institutions and communities served in the US and globally. Finally, the goal of the special issue is to bring together both cutting-edge scholarship and practice that addresses and enhances community well-being and the practice of philanthropy. We seek papers which examine the intersection of philanthropy and community well-being from single or multidisciplinary approaches.

Potential contributions: We invite researchers studying any aspect of building community well-being and philanthropy to contribute to the special issue. The types of papers may include: • Theory building • Empirical research studies • Case studies or ethnographies

We are seeking original articles (max. 7,000 words, all inclusive).

Submission guidelines: https://www.springer.com/journal/42413/submissionguidelines

Timeline: • March 31, 2020: Deadline for Proposals from potential contributors (see below) • September 30, 2020: Manuscript submission deadline • December 31, 2020: First decisions regarding submitted manuscripts • March 31, 2021: Revised manuscript submission deadline

Proposals: The proposal should be a word document containing the following: (a) manuscript title (which may change), (b) the names, affiliations, and emails of authors, and (c) a proposal (~500 words) of the planned contribution that includes: a summary of the key issues and/or research questions the paper will address and its relevance to the special issue. For empirical papers, information should also be provided on the sample, methods, measures/variables, and results.

Submit your abstracts to: Patsy Kraeger, Ph.D. to pkraeger@georgiasouthern.edu

The Guest Editors are happy to answer questions about the scope of the special issue and the potential fit of a manuscript. Authors who do not submit a brief proposal by March 31, 2020 may still submit a full manuscript by the September 30, 2020 deadline (however, we cannot guarantee full consideration of these submissions).

Full manuscripts will be submitted to the IJCWB through the journal’s online submission system and will be subject to double-blind peer review. We do not guarantee eventual publication of all manuscripts.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to receiving your proposal!

JOB ANNOUNCEMENT: Wellbeing/Development Economics Postdoctoral Research Fellowships University of Johannesburg

Jill Johnson — Mon, 27 Jan 2020 04:57:01 GMT

We are looking for candidates with a documented interest in well-being or development economics research. With proof of econometric skills and statistical/mathematical knowledge. Candidates pursuing research in a field related to the organisation of well-being and sustainability are of particular interest. Within this field of research, the School of Economics can offer opportunities to partake in various research projects collaborating with universities in New Zealand and Europe. Research potential will be the key selection criterion, and the successful candidates are expected to carry out research suitable for publication in highly ranked international peer reviewed journals.

Learn more and download application:

POSTDOC_Wellbeing_Development_Economics_ApplicationForm2020_jan15_2020.docx

ISQOLS 25th Anniversary T-shirt

Jill Johnson — Thu, 23 Jan 2020 18:27:45 GMT

The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) was established in 1995, making 2020 our 25th year anniversary! Our success and longevity as an organization would not be possible without the generous support, time, and work done by all of our members and community.

To commemorate this milestone, we are offering a special Anniversary T-shirt to anyone who makes a donation in the amount of $25 USD or more to the ISQOLS Education Travel Grants. Travel grants provide funds for students from developing countries to attend the 2020 Conference in Rotterdam, Netherlands (August 25-28).

To make your contribution, please visit isqols.org/donate and select "Education Travel Grant" as your choice for your donation. A confirmation email details will be sent to you upon receipt of your donation.

Questions? email: office@isqols.org

ISQOLS Members Research: Artificial Intelligence and Community Well-being: A Proposal for an Emerging Area of Researc

Jill Johnson — Wed, 15 Jan 2020 22:09:13 GMT

Artificial Intelligence and Community Well-being: A Proposal for an Emerging Area of Research

Laura Musikanski1 & Bogdana Rakova2 & James Bradbury1 & Rhonda Phillips3 & Margaret Manson4

Received: 25 June 2019/Accepted: 17 December 2019/ # Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020

Abstract We are calling for a new area of research on the nexus of community well-being and artificial intelligence (AI). Three components of this research we propose are (1) the development and use of well-being metrics to measure the impacts of AI; (2) the use of community-based approaches in the development of AI; and (3) development of AI interventions to safeguard or improve community well-being. After providing definitions of community, well-being, and community well-being, we suggest a definition of AI for use by community well-being researchers, with brief explanations of types and uses of AI within this context. A brief summary of threats and opportunities facing community well-being for which AI could potentially present solutions or exacerbate problems is provided. The three components we propose are then discussed, followed by our call for cross-sector, interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary and systems-based approaches for the formation of this proposed area of research.

ArtificialIntelligenceAndCommu.pdf

ISQOLS Member Accomplishment: Prof Fouad Beseiso, Latest Scientific Contribution on Happiness Economics

Jill Johnson — Sat, 28 Dec 2019 23:06:35 GMT

Prof. Fouad Beseiso Member of ISQOLS Latest Scientific Contribution on Happiness Economics

Prof. Beseiso joined the Arab Economic Conference on “ The Arab Development Between Current Challenges and the 4^th Industrial Revolution Realm “ Which has been organized by The Arab Economic Research Society, the Arab Planning Institute in Kuwait and the Arab Union of Chambers of Commerce in Beirut - Lebanon .The Conference was held in Beirut-Lebanon on 13-14 December 2019 . Dr. Beseiso contributed to the conference with a research Paper on “The Role of The Socio-Economic, Political and Moral System Arising From The Economics of Happiness In Approaching Successfully The 4^th Industrial Revolution “ . At the final session of the conference The Arab Economic Research Society while celebrating its 30^th founding anniversary awarded its Founding members honoring Accolades. Prof. Beseiso was one of these Economists who enjoyed the Society Honoring. The Conference was attended by highly practisional Arab Economists who contributed through their research papers and discussions a deep analytical views towards the main question on how to manage successfully the various requirements of the forth Industrial Revolution.

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS | ISQOLS Western Economic Association International Conference

Jill Johnson — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 16:11:43 GMT

CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS | ISQOLS

Western Economic Association International

95TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Denver, Colorado, June 26–30, 2020

Keynote Addresses by

Maurice Obstfeld, UC Berkeley,

and John Shoven, Stanford

International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies

The Journal of Well-being and Leisure in Africa (JWLA)

Jill Johnson — Sun, 27 Oct 2019 22:09:50 GMT

The Journal of Well-being and Leisure in Africa (JWLA) is a scientific, blind peer-reviewed journal, which elicits anonymous reviews of a high standard.

The Journal of Well-being and Leisure in Africa (JWLA) is a scientific, blind peer-reviewed journal, which elicits anonymous reviews of a high standard. JWLA is an open access journal and is licensed by Creative Commons Attribution International. The JWLA accepts manuscripts from the African continent as well as within the international context from the broader Social-, Economic & Management- and Natural (health) Sciences.

The JWLA is devoted, but not limited to research in:

- Well-being (happiness, satisfaction with life, quality-of-life, and life domains) and
- Leisure (leisure well-being) in its broadened form.

The outcomes should focus on:

- Well-being as a multidimensional concept, and
- JWLA furthermore encourages a multidisciplinary approach, from the perspective of individuals, communities and society.

Publication is:

- Annually, with multiple volumes.

Learn more at: https://journals.nwu.ac.za/jwla

Takashi Inoguchi: My Latest Quality-of-Life related Works to Share with ISQOLS Community

Jill Johnson — Tue, 22 Oct 2019 20:10:17 GMT

My Latest Quality-of-Life related Works to Share with ISQOLS Community

Takashi Inoguchi

Institute of Asian Cultures

J. F. Oberlin University (Tokyo)

*I acknowledge gratefully the comments made by Prof. Richard J. Estes on an earlier draft of this piece.

Since I was given the honor of delivering the Alex Michalos Lecture at the 2017 ISQOLS annual conference at Hong Kong Polytechnic University (Inoguchi, 2017), two developments have taken place in my quality of life related research. One is the revised enriched publication of my lecture in Hong Kong.

These more recent findings are reported in the forthcoming book chapter:

Takashi Inoguchi, "An evidence-based typology of Asian societies: What do Asian societies look like from the bottom up instead of top down?" in Takashi Inoguchi, ed., The Sage Handbook of Asian Foreign Policy, vol.2, London: Sage Publications, forthcoming in February 2020.

My theoretical typology of societies has two key merits: (1) evidence-based; and, (2) bottom up. In the author's view, this typology is unique, original and innovative in that daily life satisfaction is taken up to construct the characteristics of a society whereby cross-national comparative measures determine the various social, political, and economic dimensions of individual society. I have attempted to identify adequate public policy scheme in the United Nations 'Sustainable Development Goals' project--one of my current interests that overlap with the typology’s various dimensions. I explain why my scheme would be immensely helpful. Thirty-seven sustainable development goals need the good grasp of people's satisfaction with daily life in sixteen domains (housing, standard of living, household income, health, education, job, friendships, marriage, neighbors, family life, leisure, spiritual life, public safety, conditions of the environment, social welfare system, democratic system) on top of the empirical reality of developmental achievements and prospects.

Examining selected aspects of various UN Sustainable Development Goals reports convinces me of the need to know where people--neither the national government and its relevant bureaucratic agencies nor UN and international specialized organizations, nor business--are dissatisfied and therefore seeking advice as to how to prioritize the attention and advice of the national government, UN agencies, businesses. People's real dissatisfactions here and there are gauged by grass-roots-level opinion polls. Otherwise, UN SDGs will end up with the highly technocratic exercise.

Fortuitously, The Financial Times (FT) calls a better form of capitalism, which points to the same weakness as the UN SDGs scheme, i.e., stakeholder capitalism with those holding stocks reigning supreme. FT says: “The long-term health of free enterprise capitalism will depend on delivering profit with purpose. Companies will come to understand that this combination serves their self-interest as well as their customers and employees. Without change, the prescription risks being far more painful." "Free enterprise capitalism has shown a remarkable capacity to reinvent itself. At times, as the historian and politician Thomas Babington Macaulay wisely noted, it is necessary to reform in order to preserve. Today, the worlds has reached that moment. It is time for a reset." (Financial Times, September 16, 1919).

In the UN SDGs case, largely forgotten at least in the UN SDG documents are people, especially popular dissatisfaction about quality of life as manifested in their daily life. We focus on East Asia where our expertise lies in terms of the availability of a number of polls of quality of life such as those led by Takashi Inoguchi, Noriko Iwai, and Ryozo Yoshino.

The second is the extension of quality of life studies on a global scale. The book, coauthored with Lien T.Q. Le and entitled:

Takashi Inoguchi and Lien T.Q. Le, The Development of Global Legislative Politics: Rousseau and Locke Writ Global, Springer, forthcoming in November 2019.

What has driven the earth on which a liberal world order has been flourished since World War II? We contend that it is the growth of multilateral treaties. If Jean-Jacques Rousseau's and John Locke's social contract ideas are writ global under digitalized globalization, global quality of life can be gauged surrounding a bunch of global quasi-social contracts, i.e., 511 multilateral treaties, as of 2019. On the basis of them the liberal world order has struggled, survived and thrived until recently because they are 'transformative' in the sense that joining them encourages both domestic and global improvements of quality of life among joiners on a global scale. At home sovereign states must see to it that the direction and distribution of citizens' preferences whether it is about parental authority, or about intellectual property rights, or about nuclear ban. If domestic laws contradict with clauses of a proposed treaty, one may start to work toward revising the concerned domestic law or leave it unrevised and opt for not joining the concerned multilateral treaty. At the same time one has another front. Beyond your society, one may watch international environments concerning the concerned multilateral treaty. If you feel strong affinity about culture, identity, religion, history and geography with a certain group of states, you may be inclined to tilt your treaty decision about a concerned treaty to a certain group of states. If you feel that a concerned treaty falls in the policy domain, say, health and labor, in which your society may not be confident to sustain the WHO's international standards immediately soon, you may a s well opt for joining but with some reservations attached as to compliance with the WHO's multilateral treaties. The point here is that multilateral treaties are intrinsically tied with both domestic and external engagements whereby your sovereign state must juggle, jostle and struggle to secure your own interests and priorities and at the same time it must see to it that your external environments may not be triggered to be metamorphosed by your disharmonious unilateral moves and that your inattention to the "red lines" of those states that stand hegemonic to your country as far as alliance and defense policy. Here important to note is that our scheme does neither presume the salutation of the Westphalian model where a sovereign state stands as if to say that I stand higher than thou nor the acceptance of the extreme model of globalization whereby liberalism sweeps every intermediate organizations out beneath a pure global market. Implicit trust matters in the whole process of joining and together implementing a bundle of global quasi-social contracts.

For the next few years I now envisage a little optimistically to write two books. One is:

Takashi Inoguchi, Eight Types of Asian Societies: Bottom Up and Evidence-Based (in preparation).

and the other is:

Takashi Inoguchi and Lien T.Q. Le, The Birth and Development of Global Legislative Politics: East Asia in Focus (provisional title)

With the proofing processes of the two forthcoming books being about to end, as of September 2019, I thought that I might as well share a reflective and prospective piece for the better communications with ISQOLS community.

Click to learn more about Takashi Inoguchi.

Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies in United Nations Academic Impact Website

Jill Johnson — Sat, 19 Oct 2019 23:56:38 GMT

The Handbook of Quality of Life in African Societies published in the International handbooks of Quality of Life Series is being written about on the United Nations Academic Impact website!

See: https://academicimpact.un.org/content/zero-hunger-series-africa-not-broken-tale-african-innovations-food-and-well-being

Congratulations to the editor, Irma Erloff, and the editor for the series, Graciela Tonon!

Fall 2019 Social Indicators Network News (SINET)

Jill Johnson — Fri, 18 Oct 2019 20:30:15 GMT

The Fall 2019 Social Indicators Network News (SINET), the official newsletter for ISQOLS, is available now to read now. Click on the link below to read:

Advancing the Research on Resiliency: Fostering Resilient Outcomes for Youth

Jill Johnson — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 20:03:51 GMT

Advancing the Research on Resiliency: Fostering Resilient Outcomes for Youth

Children and adolescents today are increasingly faced with adversity, including poverty, chronic exposure to violence, and traumatic life events. The ability to thrive despite these significant stressors—or being “resilient”—has been a focus of interdisciplinary research spanning the past several decades. Resiliency theory focuses on the “protective processes” both within the individual and their environmental circumstances.¹ Despite the complexity of these processes, research suggests that resilience can be learned and schools can play an essential role in the development of resilient skills among youth.²

Much of the research to date has focused on contextual factors such as parent and school relationships. Comparatively fewer studies have focused on specific internal attributes or processes that enable youth to thrive even in the face of adversity. Further, most of the research is correlational. There is a need to understand the efficacy of evidence-based interventions to promote resiliency in youth.

School Psychology invites authors to submit empirical studies evaluating universal or targeted school-based interventions aimed at promoting resiliency or teaching resilient skills among school-aged youth. We are especially interested in studies that utilize rigorous research designs to empirically evaluate short- and long-term outcomes. Studies that address the sustainability of these intervention in school settings and the role of the school psychologist in their delivery are especially encouraged.

The deadline for initial submission is October 15^th, 2019. Any questions related to this special section can be addressed to Stephanie Fredrick (fredr1ss@cmich.edu).

¹Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The construct of resilience: A critical evaluation and guidelines for future work. Child Development, 71, 543-562.

²Forbes, S. & Fikretoglu, D. (2018). Building resilience: The conceptual basis and research evidence for resilience training programs. Review of General Psychology, 22, 452-468.

Call for Papers Advancing the Research on Resiliency.docx

Well-Being 2020 Conference: Knowledge for Informed Decisions- ENDORSED BY ISQOLS

Jill Johnson — Wed, 02 Oct 2019 20:01:29 GMT

International Conference “Well-being 2020: knowledge for informed decisions”

Hotel Parc Bellevue, Luxembourg, 18 – 21 of March 2020

Organized by The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) and the Ministry of the Economy, Luxembourg

Endorsed by the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS; isqols.org)

The conference will take place over three and a half days from 18 – 21 of March 2020. We have scheduled one keynote speaker for each day and a roundtable discussing how policy-makers can integrate the findings from well-being studies.

Topics of the conference

This is an interdisciplinary conference welcoming contributions from every field of social sciences, such as: economics, sociology, psychology, and political sciences. We especially welcome papers on the following topics:

· Correlates and consequences of well-being and ill-being (e.g. personality, wealth, productivity, immigration, occupation, health);

· Well-being over time;

· Well-being inequality;

· Inequality, social capital, and inclusive growth;

· Well-being and the changing environment;

· Public or private interventions for well-being and their evaluations;

· Future directions in well-being research.

· Well-being and ill-being metrics (e.g. single indicators vs. dashboards; micro vs. macro);

Key-note speakers

Our four key-note speakers are: prof. Stefano Bartolini, University of Siena; Mr. John De Graaf, an American author, journalist and film-maker; prof. Carol Graham, Brookings Institution and University of Maryland; and prof. Andrew Oswald, University of Warwick.

Round table

On Friday morning the conference will host a round table on “Policy meets research” where representatives of institutions will discuss advantages, disadvantages and limitations of the well-being approach in policy making.

Paper submission and deadlines

To apply, please, submit an abstract complete with name of the author/s and a title to: submitSWB2020@statec.etat.lu. Extended abstracts and full manuscripts are welcome.

The deadline for application is the 15 October 2019. We will notify the authors of accepted papers by mid-December 2019.

For more information, please, visit our conference web-site (www.wellbeing2020.lu) or send an e-mail to: infoSWB2020@statec.etat.lu

We look forward to welcoming you in Luxembourg,

The scientific committee:

Serge Allegrezza, STATEC

Martijn Burger, Erasmus University of Rotterdam

Conchita d’Ambrosio, University of Luxembourg

Johannes Hirata, Osnabruck University

Kelsey O’Connor, STATEC

Chiara Peroni, STATEC

Maurizio Pugno, University of Cassino

Francesco Sarracino, STATEC

visit our website (https://www.wellbeing2020.lu/) or feel free to contact us (submitSWB2020@statec.etat.lu).

The deadline for submissions is the 15th of October 2019.

Call-for-Papers-Wellbeing2020.pdf

ISQOLS Granada Education Grant Reflection_ Shoirakhon Nurdinova

Jill Johnson — Thu, 26 Sep 2019 23:28:29 GMT

ISQOLS educational grant

I am Shoirakhon Nurdinova, an educational grant recipient. I am grateful that I have received an educational grant which made enable me to trip to the International Society for Quality of Life Studies conference. I attended at ISQOLS Conference in Granada, Spain with my presentation entitled “Are Turkish Housewives Happy?: A Qualitative Approach”. My presentation focused on happiness of Turkish housewives, whom I conducted semi-structured interviews. The interviews with 60 housewives from different regions of Turkey explores factors affecting women’s decisions to/to not participate in labour market, and their happiness level. The presentation allowed me to introduce my research findings to ISQOLS members and conference participants and expand my academic network.

I enjoyed to other participants’ presentations, in particular on wellbeing/happiness of working/non-working women. Carina Keldenich’s presentation “Happy Homemakers or Desperate Housewives? Work, Parenthood and Women’s Affective Well-Being” was quite close to my topic.

ISQOLS conference was very important for networking on my research and future career. Networking is beneficial for me in sharing information, getting in touch with experts in terms of scientific collaborations and developing research ideas. Furthermore, networks influence me positively to improve new skills and to make scientific achievements in my future entire academic career. Feedbacks of experts improved my future scientific approaches. Also, ISQOLS conference was good opportunity to stay up to date with current best practices and cutting edge methodologies in the field.

Another beneficial part of the event was ISQOLS mentor mixer program, which provide young ISQOLS members with experienced mentors. I am lucky that I met my mentor Prof. Ming-Chang Tsai. We discussed about my future career goals, research interests, publishing opportunities etc. during mentor mixer program. Also, we discussed about my future research on happiness in Central Asia, which is quite new research area in Central Asia. I believe that mentorship program would be helpful me to develop more effective tools and methodologies on happiness economics, quality-of-life-studies in Central Asian Countries.

ISQOLS conference gave me motivation and a new perspective on my work and research.

Yours faithfully, Shoirakhon Nurdinova

Ed Grant Winner, Natalia Kopylova, reviews the ISQOLS 2019 Conference

Jill Johnson — Wed, 25 Sep 2019 00:52:53 GMT

17^th ISQOLS Annual Conference in Granada, Spain, 4-7 September 2019

by Natalia Kopylova

University of Johannesburg, South Africa,

email: nataliakopylova@hotmail.com

24 September 2019

I attended the ISQOLS conference that took place in beautiful Granada. It was my first international conference and I will remember it for the rest of my life.

I was given the opportunity to not only present the topic “Subjective wellbeing in countries in transition: Russia and South Africa” but also be the chair of the session “Well-being around the world” which took place on the 5^th of September (the second day of the conference). It was a nerve-wracking moment, considering that I’ve never presented internationally. In my opinion, the session was received successfully by academic researchers and experts that attended parallel session that morning.

During the conference, I was able to attend numerous sessions and workshops that directly relate to my research interests. The speakers provided valuable information that will help me going further. For example, the keynote lectures by Stefano Bartollini and Michael Marmot were inspiring and thought provoking. The first one focused on money, social relationships and people’s happiness. Whereas the second speaker concentrated on health inequalities and social determinants of health. On the first day of the conference (4^th of September) I took part in the pre-conference workshop by Lara Fleischer “The future of OECD well-being measures”. It was an interactive session where all attendants participated in the discussion of the proposed headline indicators set. The dashboard of the indicators will assist me further when conducting one of my PhD topics. On the third day (6^th of September) I was present at the morning parallel session on “Quality of life among the elderly”. Presenters investigated the elderly’s well-being, their activities and proposed methods that could be used in order to improve their lives. The afternoon session of “Happiness and technology” showed a different perspective on the measurement of the levels of happiness among the people.

Being in the first year of my PhD, this conference gave me great exposure to a plethora of new content and opened the door to many opportunities. I was fortunate enough to meet international academics whose work I have read and cited which was the highlight of my trip. There was always a chance to interact and exchange views during the conference sessions and coffee breaks. This conference was an eye-opening experience that gave me more knowledge and confidence for the future.

I would like to thank the ISQOLS for giving me the Educational Grant. A special thank you to my supervisor, Prof. Talita Greyling, who introduced me to this field and provided such generous support and guidance. It was a great pleasure to be a participant in such a momentous event.

*ISQOLS Community: Your Input Requested! Collaboration: Daily Global Happiness Monitor

Jill Johnson — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 21:10:22 GMT

Dalia Research is launching the first-ever daily global happiness monitor: everyday we ask thousands of people in over 50 countries around the world how happy they are, generating the world’s largest continuous dataset on global happiness. Our goal is to help organizations, researchers and governments better understand the well-being of countries around the world in real-time, as events ranging from elections, sports, financial crashes, extreme weather, conflicts and new technologies send ripple effects around the globe. In doing so, we hope to prioritize happiness as the guiding indicator for national well-being and policy-making.

Call to action for researchers:

Dalia Research has the technology to run this global survey, but we need advice from the happiness science community. Our currently methodology is a first attempt - we are still flexible and ready to take advice from the research community to change the design to make it as useful as possible. Please keep in mind that the final data will be open source, and free to researchers and the public in general, so your help will translate into a better dataset and more value for everyone interested in happiness measurements.

Specifically, we are looking to answer the following questions:

1) In what ways is tracking happiness levels around the world on a daily basis valuable for the research community? What could it be used for?

2) Imagine you could build a happiness tracker. What survey question would you use to measure happiness? Would you include any other additional variables, or is external data on political events enough?

Please send your responses to:

Frederick DeVeaux

frederick.deveaux@daliaresearch.com

About us: Dalia Research is a Berlin-based public opinion company that distributes surveys to millions of people around the world through apps/websites on their internet devices.

Methodology: The current methodology for the Global Happiness Monitor (it may be subject to change depending on the feedback we get) is the following:

We ask a nationally representative sample of 200 respondents in each country everyday.

The survey question is borrowed from Gallup: Did you experience any of the following emotions a lot yesterday? (Anger, Happiness, Sadness, Stress, Worry, Physical Pain, Enjoyment, None of the above)

Wellbeing 2020 Conference

Jill Johnson — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 20:17:55 GMT

Well-Being 2020: Knowledge for Informed Decisions

The Well-Being 2020 Conference: Knowledge for Informed Decisions will be hosted in Luxembourg from the 18th to the 21st of March 2020. The organizers are the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (STATEC) and the Ministry of Economy of Luxembourg. The conference offers excellent key note speakers, a policy roundtable, a beautiful location, and a great opportunity to exchange and discuss research on well-being.

- Correlates and consequences of well-being and ill-being (e.g. personality, wealth, productivity, immigration, occupation, health);
- Well-being over time;

- Well-being inequality;
- Inequality, social capital, and inclusive growth;
- Well-being and the changing environment;
- Public or private interventions for well-being and their evaluations;
- Future directions in well-being research;
- Well-being and ill-being metrics (e.g. single indicators vs. dashboards; micro vs. macro).

Our four keynote speakers are: prof. Carol Graham, University of Maryland & Brookings Institution; prof. Andrew Oswald, University of Warwick; prof. Stefano Bartolini, University of Siena; and Mr. John De Graaf, an American author, journalist and filmmaker.

For more details, please visit our website (https://www.wellbeing2020.lu/) or feel free to contact us (submitSWB2020@statec.etat.lu).

Requesting participation in Study about Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the metrics of well-being and happiness.

Jill Johnson — Wed, 24 Jul 2019 05:39:51 GMT

Leire Iriarte (of Buen Vivir) is conducting a study in collaboration with Laura Musikanski (Happiness Alliance) about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and the metrics of well-being and happiness.

At the beginning of this year we published a study analyzing the interactions between ODS and happiness metrics. This is the work I presented at the ISQOLS webinar. Following that work, we have designed a survey to gather the opinion of different actors with an interest in the subject. You can answer the Spanish or English version of this survey, which takes less than 10 minutes to complete, through any of the following links:

- Survey in Spanish: https://forms.gle/PLGHRTfSLUjHa9v97

- Survey in English: https://forms.gle/2LVj3BasRHjpehe68

The survey will be open until 14 August and the results of the study will be presented and discussed in an online workshop on 27 August (9 a.m. CET in Spanish; 5 p.m. CET in English).

I would be very grateful if you could answer the survey as well as distribute it among ISQOLS members since I am sure that there are many people interested in the subject who can make great contributions.

The results will be open for everyone interested in them. Our plan is:

- Present the results of the survey in an online workshop the 27th of August.

- Present the results of the survey and workshop in Granada (I have an oral presentation on Saturday).

- Submit the results to the open source journal: International Journal of Community Well-being (hopefully in fall).

Thank you very much for your time and wish you happy summer time!

The inequality of progress

Jill Johnson — Mon, 08 Jul 2019 01:10:23 GMT

The inequality of progress

By: Mahar Mangahas -

Over time, some people get better off, and some others get worse off. To gauge the progress of the whole group, it is fruitless to try to measure the gains of the former and the losses of the latter. On the ground that all people are inherently equal, I think any measure, such as per capita income, that uses averaging to allow the welfare of a few to outweigh the welfare of the many, should be rejected.

It is simpler, more democratic and scientifically sound to count the gainers, rather than their gains, and the losers, rather than their losses. By comparing the number of gainers and losers, one can see that there has been constant progress among the Filipino people since 2015. Most recently, the gainers were 38 percent of adults, whereas the losers were 21 percent (“First Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey: Net Gainers remain ‘Very High’ at +17,” www.sws.org.ph, 5/24/19).

INOMICS HANDBOOK 2019

Jill Johnson — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 20:33:18 GMT

INOMICS Handbook 2019

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The 2019 edition of INOMICS Handbook covers:

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https://inomics.com/handbook

Using big data to measure the relationship between happiness and political events and strike actions.

Jill Johnson — Tue, 28 May 2019 23:48:54 GMT

Using big data to measure the relationship between happiness and political events and strike actions.

Talita Greyling and Stephanie Rossouw developed a Gross National Happiness (GNH) index using big data. This index enables them to measure the affect happiness of a nation in near real-time. The duo launched this index on 30 April in South Africa ahead of the elections (that took place on 8 May) and followed happiness levels during and after the elections. They found strong correlations between the political event and happiness.

The GNH index was launched in New Zealand and Australia during the week of 13 May. Consequently, the elections in Australia on 18 May allowed them to track happiness levels in the same manner that they did for South Africa. The results obtained, further illustrate the strong effect political events have on affect happiness.

Next up, they will test the GNH index in New Zealand when the country experiences their largest industrial strike action in recorded history on 29 May 2019. This industrial action will include both primary and secondary teachers demonstrating against the government, regarding their wages and working conditions. They are very excited to see how the GNH of New Zealand, will be influenced by this strike. Anecdotally, it is believed that New Zealanders are behind the teachers but what will the data reveal?

The newly constrcuted GNH index has attracted the attention of international media, governments, political parties and financial players, especially in South Africa, though also in New Zealand and Australia. All of this signals the realisation by people that economic, political and social events cannot be interpreted without considering the subjective wellbeing of people.

The researchers are still refining and improving the index and are eager to share their results with all of you in Granada in September.

Kind regards,

Talita and Stephanie

"Combatting Jihadist Terrorism through Nation Building: A Quality-of-Life Perspective"

Jill Johnson — Fri, 29 Mar 2019 05:10:44 GMT

Congratulations to ISQOLS members, M. Joseph Sirgy, Richard J. Estes, El-Sayed El-Aswad, Don R. Rahtz, on the publication of their new book:

"Combatting Jihadist Terrorism through Nation Building: A Quality-of-Life Perspective"

Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion and its societies are among the most influential worldwide. But that has been case for more than 5,000 years given that the ancient peoples of the countries of the MENA region and, in recent centuries, following the death of the prophet in 632 of the Common Era. What became known as “Arabs” in recent centuries were and are peoples who all share with the rest of the world the beauty of their literature, poetry, song, and dance, the beauty of the Koran which builds on religious beliefs and written sacred texts, extraordinary artwork, and architecture, and the lingering puzzlements of the Giza plateau which shares the three great pyramids and likely the much older Sphinx among other architectural feats that have not been uncovered. Arab scientists also gave us the “0” digit that has proven to be so essential to modern mathematics, unparalleled advances in science and technology, a higher quality of paper, and, most important for the purposes of this book, a spirit of tolerance for persons of other religious and cultural background.

This volume traces an anomaly in the Arab/Islamic communities, that of intolerance, violence, and even terrorism. But all four authors have sought to weave together a coherent history and explanation of the small number of radical Islamists who engage in violence not only in their societies but in those of larger MENA region as well and the world. We believe we have succeeded in achieving our original intention in putting together this book within both a historical and contemporary content. All four authors believe that this monograph fills a major gap in the contemporary literature concerning the drivers of violence within and between Islamic communities and other nations. We hope that readers will agree with us on this important accomplishment (along with the rich array of references that also are found throughout the volume).

The Book’s Organization

Though theoretically-based in its conception an organization the volume is, nonetheless written in a style and language that is easily accessible the educated reader. In all, the book is divided into eight chapters, each of which is history and extended contemporary references for use by educators in incorporating the most important part of the monograph’s conferences into relevant international and comparative contentment on the theory, research, and quality of life intervention in various regions of the world with a special focus on the 411 million people living in the highly diverse nationals of North Africa and West Asia—the Middle East or MENA region of the world.

The first chapter (Chapter 1: In Search of a Roadmap to Peace and Understanding) introduces to the reader a quality-of-life model that addresses the drivers of Jihadist terrorism from which we deduce counterterrorism programs. Specifically, we provide suggestive evidence to show increased incidence of Jihadist terrorism is mostly motivated by increased negative sentiment of aggrieved Muslims toward their more affluent Western neighbors. This negative sentiment is influenced by a host of quality-of-life factors: economic ill-being factors (e.g., income disparities, poverty, and unemployment; and disparities in technological innovation), political ill-being factors (e.g., authoritarian tribal and exclusionary regimes), religious ill-being factors (e.g., increased Islamic religiosity, and lack of secularism), globalization and media ill-being factors (e.g., the global media), and cultural ill-being factors (e.g., perceived decadence of Western culture, and Western prejudice and discrimination).

Chapter 2(Jews, Christians, and Muslims: Historical Conflicts and Challenges) summarizes the MENA region’s rich social, political, cultural, and religious history and brings that history up to the present. We tried to demonstrate that the region’s contemporary history of Islamist jihadism and terrorism is rooted in socio-political forces that have been at play for many centuries, indeed, in the case of the region’s Jews and Christians, for millennia. These drivers of terrorism, in turn, are based on the high level of grievance that members of the region’s three major religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—have endured almost since their establishment. Conflicts with neighboring states, multiple periods of colonial occupation, and the forced displacement of large numbers of the region’s people also contribute to the high levels of violence associated with comparatively low levels of quality of life and well-being for a disproportionate percentage of the region’s population.

Chapter 3 (Joblessness, Political Unrest, and Jihadism among the Region’s Youth: Contemporary Challenges and Future Trends) addresses the major economic driver of Islamist jihadist terrorism, namely unemployment among the youth in the MENA region. This chapter explores the critical relationship that exists between the region’s patterns of economic development and its broad-based social gains since the year 2000 to the present. Special attention is given to the relationship that exists between economic frustration, the region’s rapidly increasing numbers of young people, the sense of relative deprivation experienced by these young people and, in some cases, their turning to violence, even terrorism, as an outlet for expressing their frustration and sense of aggrievement toward others they believe to be responsible for their poverty and, more fundamentally, sense of economic anomie.

Chapter 4 (Cultural Drivers of Jihadist Terrorism and Increasing Religiosity) focuses on cultural and religious factors related to the rise of the Islamist jihadist movement. We make the distinction between the Islamic worldview and ideology and place much of jihadist beliefs that motivate terrorist action in the category of ideology. We discuss the cultural drivers of jihadism couched in the context of religious-cultural paradigms. Specifically, we explore cultural and religious factors that drive the behavior or actions of radical Islamist jihadists toward violence, factors such as grievance and humiliation crisis, revenge and the need to defeat the enemy, establishment of the Islamic State and the re-establishment of the Islamic caliphate, the vanguard of the ummah, martyrdom and reward in the afterlife, glorification of Allah, defending sacred places, the temporal paradigm, and chivalric and heroic feats.

Chapter 5 (Political Drivers of Islamist Jihad) focuses of tribal and exclusionary political actions of authoritarian regimes in the MENA. We make the case that those political drivers are associated with Islamist jihadist terrorist actions. We describe the history of authoritarian regimes of Libya, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan and jihadist terrorist incidents in these countries. We then concluded with a discussion about Tunisia, a country that experienced authoritarian rule but emerged from this experience with democratic bearings.

In Chapter 6 (Globalization, the Media, and Islamist Jihad) we discuss five major themes directly related to globalization, the media, and their effects on the rise jihadist terrorism in the last 4-5 decades. These themes are (1) globalization and the breakdown of the welfare state; (2) globalization, consumerism, and postmodernism; (3) negative media portrayals of Islam and Muslims in Western and global media, (4) the use of global media by Wahhabis and Jihadi terrorists; and (5) the effects of media owned and operated by political Islamists.

Chapter 7 (Current Response: Counterterrorism Strategies Focusing on the Supply-Side of the Terrorism Market) describes how Western governments as well as governments in the MENA region respond to acts of Islamist jihadist terrorism. The focus seems to be on short-term public safety, or what we call “supply-side” strategies. These are strategies designed to dismantle the marketing organization of militant Islamic groups. Supply-side strategies cannot effectively address the problem of radical Islam without developing compatible demand-side strategies—counterterrorism strategies designed to reduce demand. Thus, demand-side counterterrorism strategies serve to complement supply-side strategies. We tried in this chapter to describe current terrorism policy and action focusing on the supply-side of the terrorism market.

Finally, in Chapter 8 (Proposed Response: Counterterrorism Strategies Focusing on the Demand Side of the Terrorism Market), we recommend counterterrorism strategies focusing on the demand side of the terrorism market. We do so by focusing of drivers of market demand: culture, religion, economy, politics, globalization, and media. We propose specific counterterrorism strategies that are directly deduced from our analysis of the drivers of market demand.

The volume will be published by Springer by mid-summer 2019 as part of the recently developed series on Human Well-Being Research and Policy-Making. In addition to the current volume, other books in the series include el-Sayed el-Aswad, Professor Anthropology (United Arab Emirates [UAE]), The Quality of Life and Policy Issues among the Middle East and North African Countries (2019); and, Vijay Kumar Shrotryia, Professor of Business (India), Human Well-Being and Policy-Making in South Asia.

Click the link below for the .pdf version of this announcement and summary:

E-News-Sinet n 190308.pdf

"Comparative Perspectives on Social Indicators" 13th Spanish Congress of Sociology (Valencia, Spain, 3–6 July 2019).

Jill Johnson — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 06:14:41 GMT

The RC55, the Research Committee on Social Indicators of the International Sociological Association, is organizing its next mid-term conference on “Comparative Perspectives on Social Indicators” in the context of 13th Spanish Congress of Sociology (Valencia, Spain, 3–6 July 2019).

In the context of 13th Spanish Congress of Sociology (Valencia, Spain, 3–6 July 2019)

RC55 Research Committee on Social Indicators

invitation to participate in the 2019 Mid-term Conference

“Comparative Perspectives on Social Indicators”

Call for abstracts

Grupo de Trabajo 43 (Work Group 43) ISA Research Committee 55: Social Indicators

From 3 to 6 July 2019 the 13th Spanish Sociology Conference, with the theme: Societies at the crossroads, the commitments of sociology, will be held in Valencia, Spain. The Spanish Federation of Sociology will organise the conference with the assistance of the Universidad de Valencia and the Asociación Valenciana de Sociología.

The RC55 Research Committee on Social Indicators of the International Sociological Association is pleased to invite authors to submit abstracts for oral presentations that address comparative research in the study of social reality, focusing on the construction and use of social indicators in comparative research among countries (including comparisons among regions or cities). Contributions can be of theoretical nature, applied studies or methodological reflections (either in a quantitative, qualitative or mixed perspective), but with a clear comparative focus (i.e. measurement and study of same phenomena in different countries). Thematically, contributions to all social indicators domains are welcome, like, for instance, social inequality, consumption, wellbeing, etc.

We expect to received contributions in some of these topics:

Construction and use of social indicators in comparative research among countries: theoretical approach.

Construction and use of social indicators in comparative research among countries: methodological reflections.

Construction and use of social indicators in comparative research among countries: empirical evidence in quantitative approach.

Construction and use of social indicators in comparative research among countries: empirical evidence in qualitative approach.

Construction and use of social indicators in comparative research among countries: empirical evidence in mix-methods approach.

A publishing opportunity for participants at Special Issue on Social Indicators Research A selection of contribution will be invited after the conference to submit a full version (on September) of their contribution for possible publication in a forthcoming Special Issue of Social Indicators Research Journal.

Abstract submissions Deadline: December 31th, 2018. Extended to March 15th, 2019 for GT 43 group - ISA RC 55 group- Confirmation of acceptance: April 11th, 2019

Length of abstracts: maximum of 250 words.

Registration: Opening: 08 March 2019 Early registration period: 26 April 2019 All accepted abstracts will be included in the conference proceedings if the registration fee was paid up to 07 May 2019. Conference proceedings publication: 22 May 2019

Coordinator Task Group: Sandra Fachelli (Pablo de Olavide University - University Autonomous of Barcelona)

Task Group Members: Christian Suter (Université de Neuchâtel), Joonmo Son (National University of Singapore), Jeroen Boelhouwer (The Netherlands Institute for Social Research), Enrico Di Bella (University of Genoa), Pedro Lopez-Roldán (University Autonomous of Barcelona) and Eduardo Bericat (Universidad de Sevilla).

Send abstract to: sandra.fachelli@gmail.com

Follow this recommendation: Subject: GT 43 ISA Research Committee 55: Social Indicators Body of message: Title of Proposal: Contribution Topic: Abstract: Name and Surname Author 1. Filiation Author 1. Author e-mail. Name and Surname Author 2. Filiation Author 2. Author e-mail. Name and Surname Author 3. Filiation Author 3. Author e-mail. Identify author of contact.

Practical information • Conference website http://www.congresofes.com/index.cfm?id_idioma=EN • GT43 ISA Research Committee 55: Social Indicators: http://www.congresofes.com/gt-43-isaresearch-committee-55-social-indicators_798741332_69519.html • Accommodation coming soon in: http://www.congresofes.com/alojamiento_798741576_67893.html

FES_GT43 General Call.pdf

Recruitment of Four Researchers in Psychology

Jill Johnson — Thu, 28 Feb 2019 05:58:32 GMT

Recruitment of Four Researchers in Psychology

Opening of the recruitment process of four researchers in the field of Psychology, to collaborate in an "Experimental Study on the Impact of Singing Groups on the Well-being, Cognitive Function and Health of Older Adults."

Intervention research project with the Scientific Supervision of the Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa (Doctor Iolanda Costa Galinha) and ISCTE-IUL (Doctor Maria Luísa Lima), in partnership with the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos and the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Almada and the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, funded by the “Orçamento Participativo Portugal” (2017) and promoted and coordinated by the DGArtes.

Objective: Collaboration in the writing of one scientific paper and one scientific poster.

Work location: at distance (by means of two reports per month, supervised by the scientific coordination of the project).

Remuneration: € 4500 gross payment in four branches at the conclusion of the: (1) introduction (including state of the art) and method; (2) results; and (3) discussion sections of the paper; and (4) the scientific poster.

Duration: 12 months, starting 1^st May 2019.

Recruitment Requirements:

(1) Master or PhD in Psychology or Social Sciences;

(2) good command (written and spoken) of the English language;

(3) advanced statistical knowledge, with experience in both SPSS and AMOS.

Preference for researchers with scientific experience:

(1) in topics related to aging;

(2) in experimental research methods.

Response to the announcement with the following documents, in one PDF file:

1. Synopsis of the Curriculum Vitae, highlighting:

(a) Academic qualifications, year and classifications (including certificates);

(b) List of the main scientific publications (up to 6 publications);

(e) Research Fellowships;

(f) Collaborations in funded research projects.

2. Signed Complete Curriculum Vitae;

3. Letter in which the candidate, after analyzing the attached project (Annex 1) and based on the data collected in the study, proposes and frames in the literature a research question that will develop in an article (maximum 500 words, in English).

The selection process involves a first phase of documental analysis (90%) and a second phase of interview (10%).

Responses to the announcement until March 15

to: igalinha@autonoma.pt and luisa.lima@iscte-iul.pt

Annex 1: Abstract of the Project “Experimental Study of the Effects of Group Singing in the Well-Being, Cognitive Function, and Health of Older Adults.”

Background: Singing is a multimodal activity that requires physical, cognitive and psychosocial performance. It has the potential to improve the health of older adults in various dimensions and to promote active aging and independence. Previous studies suggest that singing is beneficial to the well-being of older adults, but the specific factors responsible for these benefits remain uncertain, as most of the studies do not analyze causal inferences. The present study responds to the need for further experimental studies with control group and follow-up measurement for the analysis of the causal effects of group singing on well-being, cognitive function and health in old age, with a higher validity of the research results.

Design: In this study, we implement and examine the effects of a singing group for older adults using an experimental and a control group. Observations will take place in both groups before and after the intervention and at a follow-up, 4 months after the intervention. Participants will be 130 retired elderly (> 60 years) from the several facilities of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa and the Santa Casa da Misericordia de Almada, randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 65) and a control group (n = 65). The intervention program consists of a singing group activity with five components: (1) physical and relaxation exercises for singing, (vocal warming, diaphragmatic breading and body posture); (3) rehearsal of repertoire (memory and interpretation of music and lyrics); (4) socialization, 20 minutes brake for socializing, group dynamics exercises and activities with common goals; (5) creation and presentation of a musical show to the public. The program will be developed in 34 sessions of two hours each, two times a week for four months, including the preparation and the presentation of a musical show. Measures. The study proposes to measure the following variables:(1) Psychoemotional indicators: Subjective Well-Being (Global Happiness, Satisfaction with Life, and Positive and Negative Emotions); Quality of Life (Satisfaction with Physical Health, Psychological Health, Social Relations, Sensory Function, Autonomy, Social Participation, Mobility, Personal Care, Usual Activities, Pain); Self-esteem; Depression, Anxiety and Stress;(2) Psychosocial indicators: Social Well-Being; loneliness; social identification and identification with the singing group;(3) Cognitive Functioning: Executive Function, Attention, Verbal Memory and Verbal Fluency;(4) General Health: Biomarkers of blood glucose, cholesterol, sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, blood pressure, and body weight, respiratory function, aerobic and balance functions, health satisfaction, health services attendance, and medication intake;(5) Sociodemographic variables: age, sex, marital status, educational status, living arrangement, age of retirement, occupation before retirement, and socioeconomic status;(6) Semi-structured interviews about the motivations, expectations and perceived benefits of participating in the program, positive and negative aspects of the program and suggestions for future programs. Validated short-versions of the measures will be preferred, collected before and after the intervention and at a follow-up, 4 months after the intervention.Procedures: The project strictly follows the international criteria of ethical requirements for studies with human participants and for the protection of personal and sensitive data in European directives and it has been approved by an independent Ethics Committee.Discussion: Positive effects of the intervention program are expected on the well-being, cognitive function and general health of the participants. In doing so, our study will empirically validate a cost-effective intervention program in group singing for older adults.

Call for Book Proposals Community Quality of Life and Well-Being Aims and Scope of the Series Series Editor: Rhonda Phillips, Purdue University, US Editorial Board: Meg Holden, Simon Fraser University, Canada; Charlotte Khan, The Boston Foundation, US; Youngwha Kee, Soongsil University, Korea; Alex Michalos, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada; Don Rahtz, College of William and Ma

Jill Johnson — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 01:25:22 GMT

Call for Book Proposals

Community Quality of Life and Well-Being

Aims and Scope of the Series

Series Editor: Rhonda Phillips, Purdue University, US

Editorial Board: Meg Holden, Simon Fraser University, Canada; Charlotte Khan, The Boston Foundation, US; Youngwha Kee, Soongsil University, Korea; Alex Michalos, University of Northern British Columbia, Canada; Don Rahtz, College of William and Mary, US; Joseph Sirgy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, US; Ben Warner, Jacksonville Community Council, Inc., US

Community Quality of Life and Well-being is a book series comprised of volumes related to local and regional level research, providing current and leading edge information to planners, policy makers, and quality of life researchers involved in community and regional well-being research and application. Formerly entitled Community Quality-of-Life Indicators: Best Practices, the series reflects the broad scope of well-being. In addition to best practices of community quality-of-life indicators projects the series welcomes a variety of research and practice topics as related to overall community well-being and quality of life dimensions, relating to policy, application, research, and/or practice. Research on issues such as societal happiness, quality of life domains in the policy construct, measuring and gauging progress, dimensions of urban and regional planning and community development, and related topics are anticipated.

This series is published by Springer in partnership with the International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS), a global society with the purpose of promoting and encouraging research and collaboration in quality of life and well-being theory and applications. More information about ISQOLS can be found at www.isqols.org. The Editor welcomes proposals for both edited volumes and authored monographs contributions on topics such as:

· Quality of Life in Communities
· Societal Happiness
· Social Health and Well-Being
· Life Satisfaction in various life domains
· Well-Being Theories and Applications
· Quality of Life for Policy Development
· Measuring and Gauging Quality of Life
· Dimensions of Planning and Community Development
· Indicators of Well-Being
· Overall Community Well-Being

Please direct your inquiries or send your proposal to: Rhonda Phillips, rphillips@purdue.edu

For more information about the series: http://www.springer.com/series/13761

PhD scholarship in the field of “Well-being and international development”

Jill Johnson — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:46:00 GMT

Organisation

Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has enjoyed an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative center of higher education offering high-quality teaching and research. Belonging to the best research universities of Europe and joining forces with prestigious partner universities and networks, the University of Groningen is truly an international place of knowledge.

Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business offers an inspiring study and working environment for students and employees. International accreditation enables the Faculty to assess performance against the highest international standards. It also creates an exciting environment of continuous improvement. FEB's programmes, academic staff and research do well on various excellence ranking lists.

Scholarship opportunities

The PhD position will involve working on applied economics projects at the intersection of development, well-being, and labor economics. The successful candidate is expected to develop her/his own research agenda under the guidance of the PhD supervisors. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

the well-being consequences of rising living standards in developing countries
changes in the incomes and health of migrants and the family members they leave behind
the well-being implications of reforms of labor market and other institutions.

The successful candidate is expected to play an active role in designing the PhD project, conducting literature reviews and developing theoretical arguments, analyzing data, writing scientific papers, and presenting research findings at scientific conferences and research seminars.

The project will be part of SOM’s research programme in Global Economics and Management.

Qualifications

We are looking for a candidate with:

a MSc degree in economics, or an equivalent degree
knowledge of development or labor economics
very good methodological and quantitative skills
a good command of statistical software such as Stata, R, SPSS, or SAS
excellent English language skills
good communication skills
a high motivation to work in an international environment
an ability to work in a team but also independently

Prior research experience is a plus.

Conditions

The PhD Scholarship student will be enrolled in the PhD Scholarship Programme and receives a scholarship of €2,120 per month (gross) from the University of Groningen under the condition of a positive assessment at the end of the first year. The monthly allowance is comparable to the first-year salary of PhD candidates with an appointment. For more information on the RUG PhD scholarship programme and its benefits please check the website at
http://www.rug.nl/(...)holarship-programme/

An assessment may be part of the procedure, consisting of psychological tests and an interview.
Starting date: Preferably September 1, 2019

Application

If you are interested, you may apply for this position until 3 March 23.59h / before 4 March 2019, Dutch local time. Please click on the "Apply" button below. The application package consists of the following separate documents:
1. your cv and scan of your passport
2. a motivation letter (1A4 max) and a short study proposal for the PhD project (2 A4 max).
3. a scan of your diploma including transcripts
4. proof of English proficiency
5. other relevant documents

The documents 1-4 are compulsory and please note that incomplete application packages will not be taken into account.

Unsolicited marketing is not appreciated.

Information

For information you can contact:

General information, somvacancies@rug.nl
Dr. Milena Nikolova (information about the contents),m.v.nikolova@rug.nl

https://www.rug.nl/education/phd-programmes/phd-scholarship-programme/phd-scholarships?details=00347-02S0006TVP

Congratulations to ISQOLS Members, Leonie Steckermeier and Jan Delhey!

Jill Johnson — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 14:55:32 GMT

Congratulations to ISQOLS Members, Leonie Steckermeier and Jan Delhey!

A recent study by Leonie Steckermeier and Jan Delhey (both ISQOLS members) from University Magdeburg is listed among the "Top 10 insights from the science of a meaningful life". This list is compiled by Greater Good, a
team of well-being researchers affiliated with Berkeley University. Each year they pick "the most provocative and influential findings".

The study featured is titled "Better for Everyone? Egalitarian Culture and Social Wellbeing in Europe", published in Social Indicators Research (2018, online first - open access).

To quote from the webpage:
"One recent study suggests another possibility: that when people live in more generally egalitarian cultures—marked by greater social trust and self-expression values—they are less likely to feel inferior to others, and so are happier as a result."

Click the link below to read the entire article, or read the excerpt below:

https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/the_top_10_insights_from_the_science_of_a_meaningful_life_in_2018

"Living in a country that promotes gender equality may seem like a good idea for many reasons. But does it really affect people’s well-being? A new study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies put that question to the test.

Drawing from the World Values Survey—a large data pool tracking well-being around the world—researchers looked at how happy people were in Western Europe, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This they compared to specific measures of gender equality in each country, like educational attainment, gender balance in parliament, earned income, life expectancies, and more.

Ultimately, they found that people living in more egalitarian countries had greater overall well-being. This was true even taking into account people’s wealth and income, as well as whether a country was more “individualistic” or “collectivist,” among other factors. Additionally, when looking at changes within a country (rather than comparing countries), increases in gender equality during one year corresponded to greater overall well-being that year.

“The magnitude of the effect of inequality is quite pronounced, meaning that changes in the level of inequality are associated with substantively meaningful changes in the level of well-being,” the authors write.

While these effects were more pronounced for women, men were also better off in more egalitarian countries. Why? Perhaps egalitarianism allows men more emotional freedom, reducing their perceived need to conform to masculine ideals (which is tied to unhappiness); or happier women mean happier men (because of contagion effects). Or it could be that equity helps the economy overall, and that in turn influences everyone’s well-being.

One recent study suggests another possibility: that when people live in more generally egalitarian cultures—marked by greater social trust and self-expression values—they are less likely to feel inferior to others, and so are happier as a result.

Whatever the reason, the researchers conclude, “To the extent that governments wish to promote the happiness and well-being of their citizens, it may be sensible to prioritize equality.”

ISQOLS Job Announcement: Coordinating Editor, Social Indicator Network News (SINET)

Jill Johnson — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 00:15:26 GMT

ISQOLS Job Announcement: Coordinating Editor, Social Indicator Network News (SINET).

The Coordinating Editor works and organizes the contents of each of three issues of SINET per year (February, May-August, November). This includes recruiting a member of ISQOLS or non-member scholars or practitioners to write a Review Essay on a social indicators/quality-of-life research topic and then working with the Executive Director of ISQOLS (Jill Johnson) to include other items per issue, including a letter from the ISQOLS, other announcements, etc. The ISQOLS Office then composes the contents each issue, arranges for reproduction, printing, and mailing.

The editorship is of a three-year term.

The candidate must be a current ISQOLS member and have demonstrated editing experience.

The ISQOLS offers a yearly honorarium of US$800 for editorial service.

Applicants must send an letter of interest to office@isqols.org by Feb 10, 2019.

Questions? Please email: office@isqols.org

Thank you for your enthusiastic support.

Please click here to learn more about SINET.

It has been a privilege to serve ISQOLS as its President Letter from Mariano Rojas (ISQOLS President 2017-2018)

Jill Johnson — Sat, 29 Dec 2018 21:45:51 GMT

It has been a privilege to serve ISQOLS as its President

Letter from Mariano Rojas (ISQOLS President 2017-2018)

I have been a member of ISQOLS since 2000, and my academic career has substantially beneﬁ ted from participating in its conferences and in related activities. My life has been enriched by interacting with so many warm, enthusiastic, and learned scholars from so many countries and disciplines. It has been a privilege to serve ISQOLS as its President during the years 2017 and 2018. I am grateful to all members of ISQOLS for giving me the opportunity to serve; it has been two wonderful years which allowed me to contribute to ISQOLS. ISQOLS gives great opportunities to all scholars – young and old – to keep growing up as researchers and I am planning to be fully involved in the Society in the future. ISQOLS is an international and multidisciplinary society that relies on scientiﬁ c knowledge to contribute to people’s well-being around the world. I do strongly believe that ISQOLS has a noble and very relevant mission and that its best years are ahead. ISQOLS is an international society that puts into contact researchers from all parts of the world. Coming from Latin America, I do feel very strong about this international scope of ISQOLS. Bringing together researchers with diﬀ erent life trajectories and cultural backgrounds is very important for the study of quality of life, well-being and happiness. The multicultural background of ISQOLS is important for a better understanding of people’s well-being by recognizing the relevance of values, beliefs, and traditions. It also shows that it is possible to interact in a globalized world with respect, appreciation, and understanding of diversity. ISQOLS is a society that favors evidencebased knowledge. The desire for a world where people’s well-being is high is not new; this desire has been common in political discourses for centuries. In fact, the desire for a better world has inspired many utopias; unfortunately, many of them have usually ended up as dystopias. ISQOLS gathers a large group of scholars who rely on scientiﬁ c research –rather than on doctrines and ideologies- to address issues regarding people’s experience of being well. Databases, qualitative and quantitative techniques, methodologies and approaches, hypotheses and corroborations, and respectful discussions are necessary in order to provide sound knowledge to guide personal decisions and private and public policy in the pursue of well-being.

ISQOLS gathers scholars from many disciplines. It seems that the current compartmentalization of knowledge is very limited to fully understand the experience of being well that concrete human beings –of ﬂ esh and blood- have. Hence, disciplinary-based academic societies are not well-positioned to make substantial contributions to people’s well-being; ISQOLS provides the space for multi, inter and even transdisciplinary research. ISQOLS is also ﬁ nancially sound; thanks in great part to the excellent work of the Development Committee and the philanthropic will of many endowed-track honorees. Revenues have also exceeded our expenditures during the past years, and we have been able of generating some surplus which could be used to ﬁ nance special programs: in fact, we are using some of this money to support the PhD-dissertation-awards program and to offer conference-participation grants to young scholars. I believe it is important for ISQOLS to invest in people, in particular in young and enthusiastic people who may come to ISQOLS who may ﬁ nd in the Society the appropriate place to enrich their academic life and who in the near future could take the leadership and make ISQOLS stronger. Professor Ming-Chang Tsai will become our President in January 2019; I have had the honor of knowing him for many years and I wish him all the best. During the next weeks we will be involved in the election of the Board of Directors and the President Elect 2019-2020. The Nomination Committee has already started this task. Four ISQOLS conferences are already in the horizon: Granada, Spain in September 2019; Rotterdam, The Netherlands in 2020; Vermont, The United States in 2021; and Sabah, Malaysia in 2022. If I may have a seasons’ wish it is for ISQOLS to keep the sense of community that shows that people from diﬀ erent disciplines and from many corners of the world can come together with the single purpose of contributing to the well-being of people. I would like to express my gratitude to all the members of the Executive Committee and of the Board of Directors as well as to the Executive Director for their support during the past two years. They made my job easier and they contributed to make ISQOLS stronger. Thanks . . . many thanks.

ISQOLS President’s Message

Mariano Rojas

The Quality of Life and Policy Issues among the Middle East and North African Countries

Jill Johnson — Thu, 29 Nov 2018 19:30:25 GMT

The Quality of Life and Policy Issues among the Middle East and North African Countries

el-Sayed el-Aswad

Publisher: Springer; 1st ed. 2019 (September 21, 2018)

https://www.springer.com/us/book/9783030003258

This book addresses the challenges threatening the quality of life (QOL) and well-being of people living in the MENA region. It focuses on both internal / local and external / global drivers impacting their well-being particularly in the domains of economy, health, and education. Additionally, it presents a critical analysis to help readers understand the position that the MENA countries currently occupy in the world. Lastly, it provides policy analysts and decision makers with otherwise hard to obtain data and information related to socio-economic, cultural, demographic, technological, and political factors that have influenced the quality of life there.

The book, first of the Springer book series of Human Well-Being Research and Policy Making, is a timely work in that it addresses quality of life in the 21 nations of the Middle East and North Africa Region by focusing on multiple policy dimensions of well-being. Furthermore, this monograph seeks to delineate cross-cultural similarities and differences by extensively and comparatively focusing on six of the region’s most diverse countries six countries (Egypt, Iran, Israel, Tunisia, Turkey, and the UAE), selected specifically to highlight the diversity in QOL found in the region.

In brief, this book:

· Presents a critical review of the scope of policy issues in the MENA countries
· Examines the systems of social and public policies implemented in these countries
· Analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of social policy with regard to improving the quality of life and well-being of people in the MENA region

President Elect 2019-2020, Ming-Chang Tsai, Welcome Message to ISQOLS

Jill Johnson — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 20:23:02 GMT

Due to health-related problems, Liz Eckermann, ISOQLS's President Elect for 2019-2020, took the decision of withdrawing from the position. We hope for her complete and prompt recovery. In order to fill the President Elect position, ISQOLS's President (2017-18), Mariano Rojas, in coordination with ISQOLS's Board of Directors, called for an extra-ordinary election and asked the Nomination Committee to start the process of nomination candidate(s) for the President Elect position.

The Nominating Committee (Graciela Tonon, Habib Tiliouine, Joe Sirgy, Daniel Shek, Kai Ludwigs) nominated Ming-Chang Tsai as a candidate for the ISQOLS President Elect in replacement of Liz Eckermann.

The President-Elect is the position of the person elected by the general membership to assume the presidency after the completion of the term of the current president. The general membership officially voted with majority approval for Ming-Chang Tsai.

*************************************************************

Letter to the ISQOLS Community from Ming-Chang Tsai

Dear ISQOLS members,

It is a great honor, and a privilege as well, to serve the Society as President for the coming two years (2019 and 2020). The main ideal interest of our society is to study the well-being and quality of life across the globe from a multi-disciplinary approach. In the past decades, we have firmly established a strong academic community benefiting from our numerous members, whose enthusiasm, efforts, engagement in exploring how human societies can advance in happiness and providing policy suggestions to achieve that desirable goal. The relay goes on. We are gathering here to contribute our research inputs. We surely know it helps make the world a better and happier planet. And this job cannot be done if we do not provide evidence-based suggestions from our scientific research.

We still have missions ahead. First, we need to mobilize a new generation of researchers to work with us. Young cohorts indicate fresh ideas, high dynamics, and of course, new friends. Any organization will not make progress without new members joining in. It is not just about the increase of size, but what matters is to keep the momentum at a high level. I hope we all assist the Society to grow this way.

Second, we also can strength our Society as a venue of sharing new ideas for academics. Our annual meetings have been very successful in gathering interested scholars. Less paid attention are our webinars. In the digital era, we have to take advantage of communicating online. Our community surely benefits from more of this sort of exchange activities. I believe it also is a good way to talk to colleagues and maintain connected when being present is not possible. We need to mobilize more volunteers to share their ideas online.

Third, our society can advance when we provide services and advices to practioners. We have a long tradition in offering policy opinions for people working on community well-being. In addition to certificate programs, we also need to develop other modules that help realize better quality of life in community, city and even larger regions. Moreover, we encourage our members to design social indicators for specific fields, be it for urbanites, children, women, or the poor. We should actively offer social reporting to see where we stand now and where to go in next phases.

I wish to work with all of you to accomplish these important tasks. Your involvement and contribution make the Society a truly worthy union. We will feel very proud of ourselves because we work and study together to contribute to make a better and happier future.

Ming-Chang Tsai

Launching the Estes Weighted Index of Social Progress on MIQOLS website

Jill Johnson — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 03:13:02 GMT

Launching the Estes Weighted Index of Social Progress on MIQOLS website

(Estes WISP; http://www.miqols.org/toolbox/isp.html)

The Management Institute for Quality-of-Life Studies (MIQOLS) is pleased to announce the launch of the Weighted Index of Social Progress (WISP). The WISP is a quality-of-life metric innovation of Professor Richard J. Estes, Professor Emeritus of Social Work and Policy at the University of Pennsylvania (USA). Professor Estes has developed the WISP in the 1970s and has reported the quality of life on many countries and world regions since (from 1970s up to 2018) (see references to his publications regarding the WISP in http://www.miqols.org/toolbox/isp.html (click Show Sources).

Specifically, Professor Estes’ WISP is a composite index of quality of life at the country level. That is, the WISP index captures quality of life of the vast majority of the countries (countries that maintains social indicators data). The WISP consists of an overall composite score of each country (shown as an actual score varying from 0 to 100, ranks, and standard deviation from the mean). The overall index is made up of 10 subindices: education, health, women status, defense effort, economic, demography, environmental, social chaos, cultural cohesion, and welfare effort.

The Education Subindex is made up of four indicators: (1) Public Expenditures on Education as Percentage of GDP (+; i.e., the positive sign indicates that the higher the score the higher the quality of life); (2) Primary School Completion Rate (+); (3) Secondary School Net Enrollment Rate (+); and (4) Adult Literacy Rate (+).

The Health Subindex consists of six indicators: (1) Life Expectation at Birth (+); (2) Infant Mortality Rate (-; i.e., the negative sign indicates that the higher the score the lower the quality of life); (3) Under-Five Child Mortality Rate (-); (4) Physician Per 100,000 Population (+); Percent of Population Undernourished (-); and (6) Public Expenditure on Health as Percentage of GDP (+).

The Women Status Subindex consists of five indicators: (1) Female Adult Literacy as Percentage of Male Literacy (+); (2) Contraceptive Prevalence among Married Women (+); (3) Maternal Mortality Rate (-); (4) Female Secondary School Enrollment as Percentage of Male Enrollment (+); and (5) Seats in Parliament Held by Women as Percentage of Total (+).

The Defense Effort Subindex consists of one indicator, namely Military Expenditures as Percentage of GDP (-).

The Economic Subindex consists five indicators: (1) Per Capita Gross National Income as Measured by PPP (+); (2) Percent Growth in GDP (+); (3) Unemployment Rate (-); (4) Total External Debt as Percentage of GDP (-); and (6) GINI Index Score (-).

The Demography Subindex comprise three indicators: (1) Average Annual Rate of Population Growth (-); (2) Percent of Population Aged < 15 years (-); (3) Percent of Population Aged > 64 Years (+).

The Environmental Subindex has three indicators: (1) Percentage of Nationally Protected Area (+); (2) Average Annual Number of Disaster-Related Death (-); and (3) Per Capita Metric Tons of Carbon-Dioxide Emissions (-).

The Social Chaos Subindex has six indicators: (1) Violations of Political Rights (-); (2) Violations of Civil Liberties (-); (3) Number of Internally Displaced Persons Per 100,000 Population (-); (4) Number of Externally Displaced Person Per 100,000 Population (-); (5) Estimated Number of Deaths from Armed Conflicts (-); and (6) Perceived Corruption Index (-).

The Cultural Cohesion Subindex has three indicators: (1) Largest Percentage of Population Sharing the Same or Similar Racial/Ethnic Origins (+); (2) Largest Percentage of Population Sharing the Same or Similar Religious Beliefs (+); and (3) Largest Share of Population Sharing the Same Mother Tongue (+).

Finally, the Welfare Effort Subindex has five indicators: (1) Age First National Laws-Old Age, Invalidity & Death (+), (2) Age First National Laws-Sickness & Maternity (+); (3) Age First National Laws-Work Injury (+); (4) Age First National Laws-Unemployment (+); (5) Age First National Laws-Family Allowance (+).

Please visit the WISP metric on MIQOLS’ website at http://www.miqols.org/toolbox/isp.html and start using it for research and to guide public policy decisions at the national and international levels.

http://www.miqols.org/toolbox/isp.html

Congrats to ISQOLS Member, Wolfgang Glatzer on his new book: "History and Politics of Well-Being in Europe"

Jill Johnson — Tue, 27 Nov 2018 03:55:59 GMT

Congrats to ISQOLS Member, Wolfgang Glatzer on his new book: "History and Politics of Well-Being in Europe"

This book presents a reconstruction of the history of well-being on the European continent with special attention to the European Union, as people from Europe have a history of a long-term march towards well-being. It discusses ancient civilizations on the European continent, which have contributed significantly to the features of well-being in contemporary Europe.

Click to read more...

"Well-being in metrics and policy"

Jill Johnson — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 19:25:25 GMT

Congratulations ISQOLS member,Carol Graham & her co-authors on the publication of their article in Science Magazine Online! "Well-being in metrics and policy" Click to read the full article:

https://bit.ly/2AOjDoA

#Wellbeing #policy #QualityofLife

2019 ISQOLS BEST PHD DISSERTATION AWARD ON QUALITY OF LIFE, WELL-BEING, AND HAPPINESS

Jill Johnson — Sun, 25 Nov 2018 19:23:36 GMT

The International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS) calls for nominations for the “2019 ISQOLS Prize for the Best Dissertation on Quality-of-Life, Well-being, and Happiness.” The deadline for nominations is December 31^st, 2018 (31/12/2018).

The aim of the prize is to promote the activity of young researchers working on quality-of-life, happiness, and well-being issues. All dissertations that have been successfully defended during the two calendar years prior to the award deadline are eligible for consideration. Resubmissions of unsuccessful nominations from prior years are welcome, as long as the dissertation defense date remains within the period of eligibility. Dissertations must be written in English.

The member student’s advisor or the scholar most familiar with the student's research must send the nomination. Nominations must be sent via email to office@isqols.org with the title “Dissertation Award Nomination” in the subject line. The deadline for the submission is December 31^st, 2018 (31/12/2018).

The nomination letter should be written in English and it should include the following information:

The title and abstract of the dissertation;
The name of the candidate;
The name of the candidate’s primary advisor;
The name of the institution where the dissertation was defended;
The date of the dissertation defense;
A two page summary of the significance of the dissertation research. Nominations should explain the precise nature and merits of the work.
An electronic copy of the full dissertation in Word or .pdf format;
A list of publications produced from the dissertation work.

ISQOLS awards the best dissertation with a lump sum of $1,500 USD, one-year free membership to ISQOLS, one-year free access to the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life Studies, and free registration to the 17th ISQOLS conference that will be held in Granada (Spain) from the 4th to the 7th of September 2019.

To further promote the research on quality-of-life, well-being, and happiness, ISQOLS may award up to five second best candidates who will receive a lump sum of $300 USD, one-year free membership to ISQOLS, one-year free access to the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life Studies, and free registration to the 17th ISQOLS conference.

The submissions will be reviewed by a committee chaired by ISQOLS’s Vice-President of Academic Affairs.

Successful candidates will receive their prizes at the concluding ceremony of the 17th ISQOLS conference. They are expected to present a summary of their work during a special session of the conference. Successful candidates are also expected to acknowledge ISQOLS in their publication.

Winners will be notified by March 30^th, 2019.

Community Indicators 2018 Impact Summit

Jill Johnson — Sun, 19 Aug 2018 23:46:48 GMT

If you use data to improve community conditions, join us Sept. 17 & 18 in Minneapolis at the 2018 Impact Summit. Our focus is on making data accessible, credible and actionable with and for the community. The 2018 Impact Summit boasts some of the field’s most influential presenters, panels and interactive workshops in a forum designed to be conducive to the sharing of ideas, learning of new concepts and meeting new connections. Concurrent tracks will discuss Data tools, Data to action, Measuring, Engaging the community, Sustaining your work.

Attendees are program managers, data analysts, communications folks, researchers and students from nonprofits and foundations, research institutions and consulting firms, government and academia. More information: http://communityindicators.net/conferences/2018-impact-summit/

Note that we are still accepting sponsors and exhibitors as well: http://communityindicators.net/conferences/2018-impact-summit/2018sponsors/

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Happy 90th Birthday, Alex Michalos!

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Congratulations to our 2025 Best Dissertation Award Recipients!

ISQOLS Sponsored event, "IAMO FORUM 2025: Submit your contribution until 9 February"

In Memoriam: Richard A. Easterlin (January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2024)

In Memory: ISQOLS Pioneer, Ruut Veenhoven 1942-2024

In Memoriam: Professor Takashi Inoguchi (1944–2024)

Nov 5, program of events organized under the Quality of Life Initiative framework at the World Urban Forum 12 in Cairo.

Discount offer: ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HAPPINESS, QUALITY OF LIFE AND SUBJECTIVE WELLBEING

Education Grant Recipient, 2024 Conference reflection:Zewei Liu

Summary of My Experience at the ISQOLS Conference as a Developing Country Fellow, Claire Biribawa

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ARQOL: Recruitment of Associate Editors and Members of the Editorial Board

Invitation to a study on Using Artificial Intelligence in Sustainability Teaching and Learning​.

Valuing What Matters in Urban Areas: A dialogue on quality of life with local government and academia

7th OECD World Forum on Well-being, taking place in Rome, Italy on 4-6 November 2024

Handbook of Quality of Life and Social Change

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Call for nominations for the ISQOLS 2024 Best Dissertation Awards

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Member Accomplishments: Radosveta Dimitrova

Congratulations to Radosveta Dimitrova

Congratulations to Radosveta Dimitrova on winning the 2022 PROSE Book Award Winner for Psychology and Social Work, Association of American Publishers for: Roma Minority Youth across Cultural Contexts: Taking a Positive Approach to Research, Policy and Practice, Oxford University Press;

Congratulations to Prof.Dr. Fouad Beseiso Scientific Contributions in Jan.2023 Green Economy as a refuge in Adapting to Climate Change Human disastrous Impacts

Dr. Emma Pleeging , ISQOLS 2023 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow

2023 ISQOLS Prize for the Best Dissertation on Quality-of-Life, Well-being, and Happiness - DEADLINE JANUARY 31

ISQOLS 2023 Conference Call for Abstracts for Papers and Posters: *extension* deadline February 15

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Member blog: Is it possible that policy affects our sleep? by Dr. Lihi Lahat

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Event: You’ll never walk alone: loneliness, religion and economics

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WELL-BEING 2022: KNOWLEDGE FOR INFORMED DECISIONS,

Well-being 2022: knowledge for informed decisions,

International Conference “Well-being 2022: knowledge for informed decisions”

Hotel Parc Bellevue, Luxembourg, 1 – 4 of June 2022

Topics of the conference

Key-note speakers

Policy round table

Perspective from civil society

Workshop – “World Database of Happiness: hands on the most comprehensive happiness archive”

Paper submission and deadlines

To apply, please, submit an abstract complete with name of the author/s and a title to: submitSWB2020@statec.etat.lu. Extended abstracts and full manuscripts are welcome. The deadline for application is 31 January 2022. We will notify the authors of accepted papers by the end of March 2022.

Only ONE month remaining! Abstract Submission Deadline is January 15, 2022, 20th Annual Conference "Quality-of-Life Resilient Futures: Sustainability, Equity, & Wellbeing"

Watch #ISQOLS Board Member, Talita Greyling, present "Gaining The Edge" #BigData#wellbeingeconomics

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Inequalities and well-being in Portugal: monitoring through a local system of indicators for Europe

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(October 25th - 9 AM - 10 AM Eastern Time)

Shoirakhon Nurdinova, "The best project among women-scientists" from International Fund for supporting science and education/Ziyo Forum

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Special Event Invitation: Measuring Progress: Online Forum on Well-Being

Measuring Progress: Online Forum on Well-Being June 16, June 28, June 29

SCHEDULE

REGISTRATION

MEASURING PROGRESS STATEC Seminar Series

QUESTIONS

ORGANIZERS

The Centre for the Study of Living Standards (Canada) and The Productivity Institute (United Kingdom) are inviting proposals for papers on the topic “Productivity and Well-Being – Measurement and Explanations.”

Thursday 27th May 2021 at 17.30 CET in the workshop World Database of Happiness: What it is and how to use

Second International Conference on Children’s Well-being 2021 VIRTUAL CONFERENCE-Extension of Abstracts submission to 31 Μay 2021 | childrenwelfaresm.com

2021 Conference: “Policies for Better Lives: Strategies for life satisfaction and human wellbeing”.

Invitation to a study on Using Artificial Intelligence in Sustainability Teaching and Learning.

ISQOLS 2023 Conference Call for Abstracts for Papers and Posters: extension deadline February 15

Measuring Progress: Online Forum on Well-Being
June 16, June 28, June 29

Policies for Better Lives:
Strategies for life satisfaction and human wellbeing