Short abstract

MERGE addresses the challenges of moving from GDP policy frameworks and indicators to better understanding of multidimensional well-being by bringing together various beyond GDP research initiatives to collaborate.

Project description

The MERGE project is a collaboration between 16 partners including CML, Leiden University with a grant the from European Union. The project will explore how we find pathways towards inclusive and sustainable wellbeing. MERGE will contribute on three main aspects: (1) co-producing knowledge and policy for sustainable and inclusive wellbeing, (2) establishing a science-policy network to advance beyond GDP, (3) constructing new economic models which capture what really matters to catalyse systemic change.

The key result is to have harmonized methodologies (indicators, models, and policies) that are acknowledged by most EU and national level policymakers to drive sustainable economic policy paradigm.

CML will contribute on identifying the state-of-the art by bringing together the EC funded research projects (WISE, ToBe, SPES, REAL) and other initiatives (UN, OECD, UCL) work on a database of beyond-GDP metrics and consolidate work on what factors contributing to the well-being of humans and rest of nature need to be taken into account when designing indicators and policies for sustainable economic paradigm.

Research question

Some of the research questions are

• Harmonizes data and gathers insights of measurement practice to empower researchers and policy makers with more rigorous and effective tools to measure what really matters.
• Develops advanced policy solutions and indicators, identifying novel ways of tackling the most pressing societal challenges.
• Offer new ways of understanding and measuring social and environmental impact, and align business practice with purpose
• Brings diverse voices across and beyond academia to advance the field of beyond GDP economics and create breakthrough in knowledge and policy impact
• Builds a network of alliances to co-create narratives, strategies and tools to work together towards sustainable and inclusive wellbeing for all

• beyond gdp
• sustainable

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