Why and How of Understanding ‘Subjective’ Well-being: Exploratory work by the WeD group in four developing countries.

Camfield, Laura ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0165-9857 (2006) Why and How of Understanding ‘Subjective’ Well-being: Exploratory work by the WeD group in four developing countries. Working Paper. Well-being in Developing Countries ESRC Research Group.

Preview

PDF (Camfield_2006_(the_why_and_how_of_understanding_SWB).pdf) - Published Version Download (190kB) | Preview

Abstract

The paper reviews participatory studies carried out in developing countries during the past decade and contrasts their findings with qualitative data from the initial phase of the Wellbeing in Developing Countries ESRC Research Group’s exploration of quality of life. This used primarily qualitative methods to establish the categories and components of subjective quality of life or wellbeing in four developing countries: Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Peru and Thailand. The comparison supports the proposition that a more open-ended approach provides insight into how people understand, pursue, and preserve their wellbeing. Subjective quality of life was not simply equated with happiness, but related to the aspects of life people regarded as important. For example, observing religion was part of both living well and being a model person, but not a source of happy memories, which suggests that treating happiness as the ‘universal goal’ is not sufficient to capture people’s motivations. People’s values and aspirations were ascertained via three questions: ‘When were you happiest?’ ‘What are the characteristics of a woman or man who lives well?’ ‘Who are the people you most admire/ respect or the best/ model persons of this community?’ The answers revealed many commonalities across sites and countries; for example, having good relationships with immediate and natal family was universally important (‘relatedness’). It also revealed cultural differences; for example, ‘not being materialistic’ was only characteristic of a ‘model’ person in Northeast Thailand, possibly because of its link to the Buddhist ideal of the ‘world renouncer’. Framing the enquiry in terms of wellbeing rather than poverty enables researchers to explore what poor people have and are able to do, rather than focusing on their deficits, which should produce more credible and respectful representations of people’s lives to inform development policy and practice. The desired outcome is development that creates the conditions for people to experience wellbeing, rather than undermining their existing strategies.

Item Type:	Monograph (Working Paper)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development)
UEA Research Groups:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Life Course, Migration and Wellbeing Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Gender and Development Faculty of Social Sciences > Research Groups > Impact Evaluation University of East Anglia Schools > Faculty of Science > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research Faculty of Science > Research Centres > Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research
Depositing User:	Laura Camfield
Date Deposited:	30 Mar 2011 10:39
Last Modified:	31 Jul 2023 00:17
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/24946
DOI:

Downloads

Actions (login required)

View Item