The concept of a wellbeing economy (WE) has gained significant traction, attracting diverse supporters with varying interpretations. A key point of contention is whether a WE is inherently post-growth. Many environmentalists advocate moving beyond economic growth as a societal priority, embracing sufficiency. Some WE proponents highlight its potential to mainstream post-growth ideas, citing the WEGo initiative—a partnership of governments aiming to create WEs—as an example. This article questions whether the growing WE support signifies a post-growth breakthrough. It examines this by analyzing case studies of WEGo member countries, investigating whether their actions reflect a post-growth orientation or merely a "weak post-growth approach."

The literature review explores various perspectives on post-growth economics. It discusses degrowth, which advocates for a substantive reduction in energy and material use, and green growth, which aims to couple economic growth with environmental protection. The review also covers the steady-state economy concept and other approaches that challenge the prioritization of economic growth. The author notes that while many WE proponents emphasize its post-growth nature, this isn't always reflected in practice. Existing research on WEGo founding members reveals only limited post-growth steps, with economic growth remaining a priority. The author highlights the varying interpretations of "wellbeing" and "sufficiency," clarifying the latter's implications at both macro and micro levels.

This study employs a comparative case study approach, expanding upon previous analyses of WEGo founding members (New Zealand, Scotland, and Iceland) by examining three additional cases: Finland and Wales (both WEGo members), and Canada (informally involved). The analysis draws on diverse sources: government documents (outlining WEs, national priorities, and related policies), parliamentary statements, speeches, interviews, and public statements by officials. Additional sources include academic resources, reports from international organizations and NGOs, media articles (primarily from NexisUni), and relevant websites. The analysis identifies stated understandings and approaches to WEs, related policies, and institutional changes. It focuses on determining whether government stances reflect a shift beyond economic growth or a continued commitment to it. Both deductive and inductive coding methods were used. The analysis primarily utilizes English-language sources, with some French for Canada, acknowledging potential limitations due to language constraints, especially regarding Finland.

The findings confirm that WEGo nations have taken only limited steps toward post-growth. Canada's involvement in WEGo is largely informal, with its Quality of Life framework showing some movement beyond GDP but maintaining economic growth as a central objective. Finland's WE approach, while incorporating social and ecological considerations, strongly emphasizes a virtuous cycle between wellbeing and economic growth, driven by concerns about welfare state sustainability. Wales stands out as the most significant case, demonstrating a more substantial shift toward post-growth, incorporating sufficiency-oriented policies, such as the cancellation of major road-building projects. However, even in Wales, a commitment to economic growth remains.

The findings challenge the assumption that adopting WE language equates to embracing post-growth ambitions. The study reveals a "weak post-growth approach" in most WEGo nations, highlighting the difficulties of moving beyond growth-centric thinking. The contrast between Wales's more substantial post-growth actions and other countries' limited steps emphasizes the importance of factors such as institutional arrangements (like the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act in Wales) and political context. The continued emphasis on economic growth in WEGo nations reflects the challenges of growth dependency, including the need for revenue to fund welfare programs. The study also highlights obstacles such as neo-classical economics training within governments and opposition from vested interests.

The study confirms the difficulty of transitioning toward a fully post-growth WE, despite increasing mainstream support. While some WEGo nations show limited progress toward post-growth ideals, the study underscores the importance of ambitious sufficiency-oriented policies, institutional support for long-term thinking, and addressing the fundamental challenge of growth dependency. Future research should investigate the effectiveness of different policy approaches and explore pathways for overcoming political and economic obstacles to achieving a genuine post-growth WE.

The study's reliance on publicly available documents might limit access to internal government deliberations, potentially influencing the interpretation of policy intent. Language constraints (primarily the limited English-language sources for Finland) could also affect the comprehensiveness of the analysis. The assessment of policy impacts and effectiveness is beyond the scope of this study, and further research is needed to evaluate the long-term effects of the implemented policies.