The Wellbeing Programme at the LSE’s Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) was founded in 2001, based on the belief that subjective wellbeing should be the main criterion for making government policy. The research programme has had a widespread impact on many UK government policies, including policies for measuring national wellbeing; for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies in the NHS; for improving life skills in schools; and for apprenticeships. CEP research has also had significant impact worldwide, including on the OECD’s measurement programme, the World Economic Forum, and the United Nations (UN) process towards making happiness one of the ‘sustainable development goals’ after 2015.

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Making personal happiness and wellbeing a goal of public policy

LSE Research Impact

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Richard Layard

Making personal happiness and wellbeing a goal of public policy

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