A Research Agenda for Social Wellbeing (Hardcover)

Elgar Research Agendas outline the future of research in a given area. Leading scholars are given the space to explore their subject in provocative ways, and map out the potential directions of travel. They are relevant but also visionary. This Research Agenda for Social Wellbeing introduces scholars and planners to the importance of a 'wellbeing lens' for the study and promotion of social flourishing. It demonstrates the importance of wellbeing as a public good, not just a property of individuals. Synthesising wellbeing research from multiple disciplines, including sociology, public health, urban and social planning, moral philosophy and development studies, chapters illustrate how the wellbeing lens promotes positivity, understanding of a variety of viewpoints and systematic appreciation of lives in their social contexts. Encouraging appreciative learning and aspirational planning, Neil Thin looks beyond the implicit 'OK' line of minimal decent standards in order to appreciate and promote moral progress. As an illuminating summary of the field, offering new avenues for employing social wellbeing research across multiple disciplines, this book will be key reading for scholars and students of sociology, development studies and anthropology. It will also benefit practitioners, such as planners, evaluators and social workers in need of practical insights into social wellbeing issues.