Economic Wellbeing

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Renewing the economic agenda

Overview

The CRC are encouraging decision makers to explore and adopt a perspective on economic well-being for rural areas that is wider than traditional economic policies which focus on GDP-led economic growth.


We believe that a wider measure or index of economic well-being should lead to improved economic and other policies.


The CRC has recently produced two publications, Understanding economic well-being and Economic well-being – guidance for local authorities which we hope will encourage local communities and local government to include economic well-being as an objective in their work. They are based on research carried out for CRC in 2009 by consultants Globe Regeneration and Rural Innovation which is summarised in their report Promoting sustainable economic well-being - Spreading good practice.


  • Understanding economic well-being explains our understanding of economic well-being and its relevance to communities, public policy makers and service delivery organisations. It also describes 13 good practice economic well-being case studies which help to illuminate the concept of economic well-being at a local level.

  • Economic well-being - guidance for local authorities provides guidance to local authorities interested in promoting economic well-being. It explains the relevance of economic well-being to their work including its links to their statutory roles.

  • Promoting sustainable economic well-being – Spreading good practice. This report, produced by consultants Globe Regeneration and Rural Innovation, is a detailed exploration of economic well-being as a focus of economic policy. It includes more detailed descriptions of the good practice case studies and draws together the key ingredients in creating successful economic well-being projects. The report also considers why an economic well-being perspective is important to rural communities.


Also in January 2010 the CRC held an Economic Well-being Seminar at the MacDonald Burlington Hotel in Birmingham.  Its aim was to increase understanding of economic well-being, and how it can be pursued at a local level and to further explore its relevance to rural communities. Information on the content and outcomes of the seminar can be found at Economic Well-being Seminar.