The wellbeing economy in practice: sustainable and inclusive growth? Or a post-growth breakthrough?

A wellbeing economy (WE) has gained widespread attention among activists, environmentalists, public health advocates, international organizations, and a growing number of governments. A key point of contention is whether a WE is inherently post-growth—i.e., moving beyond GDP growth as a societal priority in high-income countries. This article examines whether the recent mainstreaming of WE—especially via the Wellbeing Economy Governments (WEGo) initiative—constitutes a breakthrough for post-growth, sufficiency-oriented approaches. Through case studies of Finland and Wales (both WEGo members) and Canada (a participant in WEGo gatherings), the study analyzes government documents and related sources to assess the degree of post-growth orientation in practice. Findings confirm that WEGo countries have, at most, adopted a “weak post-growth approach,” maintaining economic growth as a continuing priority while introducing beyond-GDP measures and some sufficiency-oriented policies. Importantly, the article identifies variation across cases: Wales has taken more notable steps in a post-growth direction, including an ambitious shift in transport policy such as limiting road building, although growth remains an explicit goal. The article concludes with options for strengthening the post-growth character of WE practice, including more robust sufficiency policies and institutional innovations.

Anders Hayden