ISQOLS News

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 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)

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)

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

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

 

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

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 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.

Read more: 

A Fairer Society Quality of Life Call.pdf

 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

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