Las tareas de evaluación de teoría de la mente en sujetos con desarrollo normal: el paradigma de falsa creencia.

In presenting a framework for assessing well-being in Ireland the following have been taken into account:

i. The theories of well-being reviewed earlier in this chapter, drawing particularly on the eudaimonic understanding of well-being and the work of Easterlin and Sen;

ii. The subsequent definition and conceptual understanding of well-being adopted in this report;

iii. The key influences identified as having a bearing on an individual’s well-being; and

iv. The work carried out on social indicators, some of which is briefly summarised in the previous section.

Taking these factors into account the following considerations have informed the domains and indicators selected:

s The need to have a multidimensional understanding of well-being, including both objective and subjective indicators;

s That, as far as possible, the indicators should have the ability to make inter and intra country comparisons as well as tracking change over time;

s That they should be able to inform public policy and be linked to policy frameworks, Towards 2016, in particular;

s The indicators should be relevant to the Irish context (which is reviewed in Chapter 4) and should build on existing social and statistical reports;

s A relatively small number of areas (domains) and key indicators should be selected; and

s Data resources should be readily available and lend themselves to aggregation and disaggregation, as far as possible.

Taking these factors into consideration the following framework is proposed. 21. Professor Stiglitz is an American economist and professor at Columbia University. He has won the Nobel Prize in Economics and was a

chief economist at the World Bank. Professor Sen is also a Nobel Prize winning Economist who is currently professor of economics and philosophy at Harvard University, and also a fellow of Cambridge University. The Co-ordinator of the Commission is Professor Jean- Paul Fitoussi, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris and President of the Observatoire Français des Conjonctures Economiques (OFCE). Members of the Commission are renowned experts from universities, governmental and intergovernmental organisations, in several countries (USA, France, UK, India). The secretariat is provided by the French national statistical institute, OFCE and the OECD.

There are two important points to note in understanding this framework:

a) Well-being is a holistic notion so that the separation of aspects of well-being into six separate domains may give a false sense of discrete characteristics. In well-being the ‘whole is greater than sum of the parts’, so that it is the inter- relatedness and the balance between the different dimensions of well-being which contributes to overall well-being. However, the relation between the domains will vary for each individual, and will change with circumstances and over time. No attempt is made to measure the correlations between the various domains in this report.

b) The terminology used can only capture the essence of the various domains of well-being. Therefore, for example, while ‘participation’ is the term used to describe participation in work and education, participation in one’s community

Table 2.1

Framework for the Assessment of Well-being

Domains Examples of Indicators

Economic resources Income

Poverty

Work and Participation Employment

Work-life balance Unemployment Education

Relationships and Care Divorce / separation / widowhood

Living alone / parenting alone Care

Community and Environment Accommodation

Community Environment

Health Health status

Health assessment Mental health Behaviours

Democracy and Values Exercising democracy

Threats / crime

and in decision-making is also important to well-being. These dimensions of participation are captured in the ‘Community and Environment’ and ‘Democracy and Values’ domains even though the term ‘participation’ is not explicitly used. Likewise, paid employment is the main reference in the ‘Work and Participation’ domain. However, it is acknowledged that work also relates to the (often unpaid) contributions made in the home, in caring and in the community. These elements are addressed through indicators on ‘work-life balance’ as well as in relation to care and community participation. It is recognised that there are negative as well as positive aspects to unpaid work for people’s well-being, which is in the main carried out by women.

An additional point to note is that the domains and indicators in this well-being framework could be assembled in a number of different ways. They have been put together in this way to reflect our understanding of well-being, current policy goals, and in line with the criteria listed above. They represent the main areas of concern which will be addressed throughout this report. They seek to capture the well-being of individuals, situated within a societal context (see Figure 2.5). In relation to economic resources, income and poverty will be examined. The distribution of income, particularly with regard to income inequalities will be given consideration, bearing in mind the importance of comparative incomes for well- being. Low income has an adverse impact on well-being and so information will be provided on poverty, deprivation and financial stress.

The second domain captures the extent of participation through work and education. The opportunity to engage in worthwhile and meaningful activity as well as being in a position to make choices about one’s life has an important bearing on well-being. Indicators considered will include employment, work-life balance and unemployment. It is acknowledged that work also relates to the (often unpaid) contributions made in the home, in caring and in the community. Participation in education will be examined through participation rates, early school leaving trends and achievement levels.

The third domain presents information on relationships which the evidence suggests have a long lasting impact on people’s well-being. Information is provided on separation, divorce and widowhood which are known to have detrimental effects on well-being. Information is also presented on people living alone and people parenting alone. The receipt and provision of care, whether paid or unpaid, is an important dimension of people’s relationships. There are many emotional aspects to giving and receiving care, which can have positive and negative impacts on well-being. Where information is available on care it is provided.

Wider community and environmental influences are examined in domain four. Information is provided on accommodation, which is a basic need, and the communities and environments within which people live. Friendships, community participation, and volunteering, sometimes referred to as social capital, are known to be important aspects of well-being and information is presented on these. The environment within which people live also impacts on their well-being, and indicators are presented on the quality of the environment, its accessibility and on transport.

Domain five presents information on health which is known to be central to people’s well-being. Indicators on health status are provided as well as people’s own perceptions of their health and access to health services. Chronic illness and mental illness have particularly debilitating effects on people’s well-being so information is presented on these aspects of their lives. People’s behaviours, influenced by their socio-economic conditions, can impact on their health and well-being, and so indicators are provided on smoking, drinking, exercise, nutrition and obesity.

The sixth domain is democracy and values. The operation of democracy and trust in institutions is central to people’s well-being and has been shown to be something that ‘people value and have reason to value’. The methods by which people participate in the democratic process are changing with the advance of technology, and this will be noted where information is available. A peaceful society and safe environment have also been shown to be important for well-being. Crime and perceptions of crime undermine well-being by threatening people’s security and trust. Finally, a society underpinned by equality and rights is vital for individuals’ well-being and that of wider society. Recognition and accommodation of cultural diversity and identity are an important expression of strong democratic values. In presenting information on indicators of well-being comparisons will be made with other countries, as well as examining trends over time. The focus, however, will be on the well-being of people living in Ireland. Attention will be paid to variations in well-being within Ireland, particularly in relation to gender, social class, family status, ethnicity and in some cases geography. A central theme of the work is the heterogeneity of the population and the diversity of factors influencing well-being. Thus, while the six domains will remain the same throughout the report, some of the indicators may vary depending on the life cycle stage being examined, the policy emphasis and the availability of data. The next section discusses the link with the public policy framework.