Over 80% of European citizens support Beyond GDP indicators, and plenty of potential policy instruments for sustainable and inclusive wellbeing have been researched, theorised, and implemented in practice. However, a significant challenge remains: there is a lack of consensus between the political will and finding the right policy instruments. This is precisely the gap the MERGE project aims to bridge.
In the first half of 2025, we organised three co-creation workshops in Catalonia (Spain), Italy, and Finland to envision a more sustainable and inclusive wellbeing-based economy and future for us. Firstly, we identified tensions and potential contradictions that could influence the choice of policy frameworks or indicators to be used. Secondly, with the envisioning work, we tried to find the best frameworks and indicators to be used in the future.
At the core of the MERGE project are discussions about going beyond GDP and rethinking progress and competitiveness to support a more sustainable, wellbeing-based economy and society. Reflecting this notion, the following three workshops each present a national or regional case in a particular context.
Spain’s Forum on municipalism and degrowth: Local power for finding policy solutions
Many Europeans are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, while climate-related damages and rising inequalities threaten economic stability and the resilience of European societies and communities. In Spain, Catalonia, the first-ever Forum on Municipalism and Degrowth was organised to serve as a valuable platform for sharing innovative practices and strengthening networks and policy pathways for sustainable and inclusive local governance.
The event brought together local individuals involved in improving the quality of life and social justice within planetary boundaries, including both governance and civil society perspectives. The first part of the workshop included two expert-panels where pioneering municipalities presented their work and experiences in implementing degrowth-oriented municipal strategies:
- The Girona City Council partnered with Research & Degrowth International, the University of Girona (LEQUIA), and Dark Matters Lab to critically review its strategies for a just eco-social transition, resulting in over 65 policy proposals.
- The City Council of Hernani (Basque Country) has launched a sovereignty project based on public-community-economic planning.
- The City Council of Manresa has implemented various projects to strengthen local food sovereignty.
After the expert-panels, co-creation working groups from municipalities, civil society and cooperatives shared their perspectives on enhancing local wellbeing. Participants emphasised the need for accessible, action-oriented legal research to identify viable degrowth policy pathways within existing frameworks, tailored to Catalonia and other regions. They also called for prioritisation of key policies and providing clear guidance for successful short-term implementation, to avoid early failures that risk undermining public and political support. To strengthen support for degrowth policies, participants highlighted the importance of compelling narratives and research evidence showing how such policies can improve sustainable and inclusive wellbeing at the local level.
Italian expertise in measuring what matters
In the picture: Mara Cossu, Valeria de Bonis, Chiara Goretti, Lauretta Rubini
The workshop in Italy brought together institutions, experts, and civil society to discuss how to measure societal progress beyond GDP. Speakers included ISTAT President Francesco Maria Chelli, Jessica Cariboni from the EU’s Joint Research Centre, and former ministers Enrico Giovannini and Patrizio Bianchi. Then, a roundtable featured Chiara Goretti (National Office for Public Policy Evaluation), Mara Cossu (Ministry of the Environment), and Valeria de Bonis (Parliamentary Budget Office). The final discussion also included several contributions from civil society organisations.
The focus was on Sustainable and Inclusive Wellbeing (SIW) frameworks, which offer a more comprehensive view of prosperity by including indicators related to social inclusion, environmental health, and quality of life. Italy has a strong background in measuring wellbeing, and two major frameworks were at the center: Italy’s BES (Equitable and sustainable wellbeing) and the EU’s SIWB (Sustainable and Inclusive wellbeing).
However, participants also highlighted significant challenges that hinder implementation. During the second part Government officials highlighted several barriers that they face daily: severe data fragmentation, siloed methodologies, and institutional resistance which hinder coherent policy design and outcome-based evaluation. The lack of interoperable systems and a culture focused on legal compliance over real impact blocks effective use of SiW indicators. They admitted that without clear goals, shared indicators, and digital interoperability, policy coherence and SiW implementation remain superficial.
The workshop thus called for a cultural shift in public administration, which now still focuses on legal and financial compliance over actual outcomes, on how funds are spent over how they improve quality of life. As the political will remains inconsistent, the participants stressed that citizen pressure is essential for driving institutional change.
Do we know what we are competing for? Creating a common vision on holistic, sustainable and meaningful wellbeing for Finland
During a workshop held in Finland, civil society representatives envisioned a desirable future state for the year 2050:
“By 2050 Finland will have a holistic, sustainable, and meaningful wellbeing society, where the flourishing of people and nature is the foundation of its economy and governance.”
This vision was co-created by Finnish civil society actors, ranging from small to large organisations, including the Finnish Red Cross, Amnesty International Finland, the Finnish Nature Panel, the Finnish Federation for Animal Welfare Associations, ProAgria, Rethinking Economics, and the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals in Finland (Tehy). Presentations were also given by MERGE researcher Tuuli Hirvilammi from Tampere University, along with researchers Teemu Koskimäki, University of Eastern Finland, and Aleksi Neuvonen, Demos Helsinki.
Discussions centred on comprehensive human wellbeing beyond material wealth, reflecting a value-based shift from traditional thinking based on economic growth and consumption towards a more holistically sustainable future. Almost all of the visions proposed replacing the individualistic focus on competition with values like cooperation, care, generosity, solidarity and appreciation for others.
Participants imagined a society where everyone can contribute and feel a sense of belonging. Nature was consistently seen as both an integral part of the community and the foundation for a good life. The workshop also explored the evolving role of work and the potential for new ways of living. This involves rethinking established practices in pursuit of a deeper purpose.
The second part of the workshop focused on finding concrete and possible policy pathways for the desired state from the MERGE report on Potential policy instruments to achieve SIW.
The most influential policy instruments participants chose for Finland were:
1. The Law of Future Generations
2. Care income, participation income, welfare budgeting and basic income combined with universal public services
3. Civic dialogue for setting and monitoring societal goals
4. Granting of natural rights and the circular economy
Bridging the gap: Finding policy instruments to support SIW
Although each workshop had a different focus and scope, they all contributed valuable perspectives to reimagine sustainable and inclusive wellbeing. Key takeaways from all three workshops:
- Beyond-GDP (BGDP) approaches must be developed across local, national, and European levels, and greater efforts must be made to raise awareness among policymakers and civil society.
- While citizens support BGDP indicators, sustained public engagement and strong local movements are essential to maintaining momentum and legitimacy.
- Political will is necessary, followed by agreement on preferred indicators, clear objectives, and effective implementation with unified evaluation frameworks.
Building economies that truly deliver wellbeing for all—both now and in the future—requires sophisticated tools. Indicators that capture what truly matters, along with models capable of addressing complexity, trade-offs, feedback loops, and long-term impacts, are essential for effective policy design. In this context, policy pathways must be aligned with the latest scientific understanding to develop indicators and models that can guide sustainable and inclusive wellbeing policy processes.
One concrete example proposed in the Finnish workshop was the Law of Future Generations, aimed at embedding intergenerational fairness into policymaking. At the core of SIW dimensions are both wellbeing now and wellbeing for the future. There is a need for a clear role for future generations’ perspective added to the broader perception of wellbeing. This concept resonates beyond national contexts, aligning with current EU-level discussions, as the European Commission is looking into developing an Index on Intergenerational Fairness as a part of the 2026 Strategy on Intergenerational Fairness.
At the same time, there is the renewed focus on competitiveness in the EU. Competitiveness shouldn’t be the end but rather a means to achieving the wellbeing of current and future generations, and the planet. MERGE, as part of a leadership coalition of eight EU-funded research projects, sent a formal letter to the President of the European Commission, urging revisions to the EU’s competitiveness agenda to ensure it reflects social and ecological wellbeing.
Advancing sustainable and inclusive wellbeing as a policy goal requires not just better tools, but a shared commitment to measuring what truly matters. Europe’s global competitive advantage lies in its strong commitment to sustainability, social inclusion, and democratic oversight of the economy. To move forward effectively, Europe should build on these strengths.
