Exploring the discourses and dynamics of power in the Wellbeing Public Policy paradigm: a study of the policymaking landscape across the UK and Kerala

The need to go 'beyond GDP' and focus on the social outcomes that matter to people is widely accepted, and 'Wellbeing Public Policy' (WPP) is becoming an increasingly popular paradigm. The WPP discourse purports to measure and prioritise what matters to people, yet in practice WPP remains largely technocratic and top-down. Whilst the academic debate

has been dominated by issues of definition and measurement, little attention has been paid to the actors producing and codifying institutional 'truths' of wellbeing and setting the policy agenda. A critical exploration of this paradigmatic shift in public policy will be timely. This research proposal seeks to explore the role of actors involved in WPP - who is

producing knowledge around wellbeing, how do these powerful actors conceptualise wellbeing, and how is the policy goal constructed? In particular, there is a growing appreciation of the role of participatory methods amongst local organisations and actors such as local authorities within the UK (e.g., North of Tyne

Combined Authority, Newham Council) and community organisations (e.g., The Youth Foundation, Camden Giving). A similar trend is observable in inter-regional organisations, including the OECD, acknowledging the positive role of participatory input1. However, 'wellbeing' and 'coproduction' are buzzwords: performatively radical whilst maintaining

existing power relations. Given the inherent subjectivity and value-laden nature of wellbeing (Fabian et al., 2023), and the growing popularity of participation for its purported democratic legitimacy, an exploration into the attitudes of policymakers towards participation is needed. How do these powerful actors understand the role of participation

in WPP - does it mark a genuine power-sharing shift in how policy gets done, or does it serve as a performative act of democracy?