Measuring Wellbeing beyond GDP: Adoption Politics and Impact

Nyiramukama Diana Kashaka

Faculty of Education, Kampala International University, Uganda

                                                                             ABSTRACT
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has long served as the dominant indicator of economic performance, yet its inability to capture social, environmental, and distributional dimensions of progress has intensified calls for broader measures of wellbeing. This narrative review examines the conceptual foundations, political dynamics, and policy impacts of measuring wellbeing beyond GDP. It synthesizes literature on multidimensional wellbeing frameworks, theoretical approaches, indicator construction, methodological challenges, and the political economy influencing the adoption of alternative measurement systems. The review further explores the roles of governments, international organizations, and policy stakeholders in advancing wellbeing initiatives, alongside the effects of international normative pressures and institutional reforms on adoption. Evidence from national, subnational, and international case studies demonstrates that multidimensional wellbeing indicators improve policy prioritization by integrating economic, social, environmental, and governance dimensions into decisionmaking. However, implementation remains constrained by political resistance, limited institutional capacity, data quality concerns, methodological inconsistencies, and tensions between standardized and localized measurement approaches. While countries adopting wellbeing frameworks have reported improvements in evidence-based policymaking, public engagement, and broader social outcomes, the long-term causal impacts remain insufficiently understood. The review concludes that effective wellbeing measurement requires robust theoretical foundations, high-quality and comparable data, transparent governance, and sustained political commitment. Future research should prioritize longitudinal evaluations, standardized yet context-sensitive indicators, and comparative analyses to strengthen the role of wellbeing metrics in promoting inclusive, equitable, and sustainable development beyond conventional economic growth.

Keywords: Wellbeing measurement, Beyond GDP, Political economy, Multidimensional indicators and Public policy.

CITE AS: Nyiramukama Diana Kashaka (2026). Measuring Wellbeing beyond GDP: Adoption Politics and Impact. IDOSR JOURNAL OF ARTS AND MANAGEMENT 11(2):127-136.
https:/doi.org/10.59298/IDOSRJAM/2026/112.127136