Meaningful societies
Beyond Basic Needs: Redefining Social Impact for the Realization of Human Potential
Niklas Kabel Pedersen
The international development sector has long prioritized addressing the immediate needs of crisis-affected populations. Providing lifesaving assistance is undeniably crucial, but this focus has much too often led to an underlying assumption that impact of programs and projects can be measured almost solely on progress related to physical well-being, thus overlooking more subjective factors that contribute to individuals living meaningful lives. At Voluntas, we argue that understanding, providing for, and measuring these subjective needs is not only as important, but should be considered a fundamental right.
Recognition of this broader perspective has gained momentum in recent years. UN Secretary-General António Guterres recently highlighted the need for a paradigm shift in how we measure progress, “so that we can capture data on the activities and outcomes that societies truly value, and then use the data to better inform our policy and financial decisions.”[1]
Having lived and worked in some of the most challenging and fragile contexts over the past 15 years, I have witnessed firsthand the need to rethink our approaches. Human beings have a fundamental need to feel hope and dignity in their lives. My experiences in Iran, Jordan, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Ukraine, and Yemen have shaped my belief in the importance of ensuring that crisis-affected populations have a voice in decisions shaping their future. This inclusion is essential because it fosters feelings of agency and meaning.
[1] Valuing What Counts: Framework to Progress Beyond Gross Domestic Product | LinkedIn
“At Voluntās, we call it “meaningful societies”. However, in reality it is our commitment to having a positive impact on the meaning people feel in their lives by upholding the fundamental dignity and rights of every individual, regardless of their circumstances.”
Niklas Kabel Pedersen, Senior Partner & COO
DIGNITY, HOPE, AND MEANING
Evolving Metrics of Well-being
The measurement of societal progress, welfare, and quality of life has evolved significantly over time. Initially centered on economic, financial, or material well-being, Simon Kuznets introduced Gross Domestic Product (GDP) between the Great Depression and World War II to comprehensively capture economic production.[2] In the 1970s, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen criticized GDP’s limitations, advocating for a measure of societal welfare based on the freedom to pursue what individuals value, known as the capabilities approach.[3]
This perspective led to the creation of the United Nations’ Human Development Index (HDI) and the Global Happiness Index, which attempt to capture a broader spectrum of human-centered well-being. However, these measures face conceptual and methodological challenges. Happiness is a transient state and not something that can be sustained perpetually. Furthermore, the capabilities approach does not always account for internal barriers to freedom – i.e., it doesn’t fully acknowledge psychological limitations of human beings. Recent indices, such as the Human Flourishing Index and the Subjective Well-Being Index, focus on evaluative and affective dimensions but often overlook eudaimonic aspects such as feelings of purpose and meaning.[4]
[2] Fioramonti, L. (2013). Gross domestic problem: The politics behind the world’s most powerful number. Zed Books.
[3] Sen, A. (1999). Development as freedom. Knopf.
[4] VanderWeele, T. J. (2019). On the promotion of human flourishing. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(31), 8148-8156. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1702996114 and Diener, E., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Beyond money: Toward an economy of well-being. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(1), 1-31. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0963-7214.2004.00501001.x
According to these existing indices, globally, we have unprecedented levels of wealth and material prosperity. While not evenly distributed, since 2010, global GDP has increased by nearly 70 percent.[5] Simultaneously, human development as measured by the UN has reached new heights across most societies.[6] Despite this, significant levels of conflict and war persist, and numerous studies document the severe and increasing impact of stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental health disorders on societies. Depression is one of the leading causes of disability, and suicide is the fourth leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds.[7] In conflict and adverse humanitarian settings, this is even more pronounced.[8]
These statistics highlight the shortcomings of conventional measures of societal well-being, which often overlook less tangible yet crucial aspects of development. Addressing these gaps requires a more holistic approach to measuring what truly matters for humans, incorporating elements of dignity, hope, and meaning into our understanding of societal progress.
[5] GDP (current US$) | Data (worldbank.org)
[6] Human Development Index | Human Development Reports (undp.org)
[8] Murthy, R. S., & Lakshminarayana, R. (2006). Mental health consequences of war: A brief review of research findings. World Psychiatry, 5(1), 25-30.
GMI compared to HDI
Source: www.globalmeaningfulness.report
PURPOSE, LEADERSHIP, BELONGING, AND PERSONAL GROWTH
Measuring Impact Through Meaning
For the past decade, Voluntas has been dedicated to creating human-centered, meaning-driven metrics that offer a more comprehensive measure of impact. Initially, our focus was on assessing the sense of meaning felt by employees within organizations and corporations. Based on collaboration with academic institutions and research involving input from hundreds of thousands of individuals, we saw that the primary drivers of meaning can be defined as feelings of purpose, leadership, belonging, and personal growth.[9]
This focus has since evolved to measuring levels of meaningfulness within societies and communities at large. In 2023, we published the world’s first Global Meaningfulness Index (GMI) report,[10] which surveyed 20.000 respondents across 24 countries on how they experience meaning in their lives. Understanding this sense of meaning will provide insights to inform policies on both micro and macro levels. In 2024, the GMI will be even bigger as we reach more than 30 countries. Findings from these studies indicate that we are onto something. In fact, our data shows an inverse correlation between the general sense of meaning in life of a country’s citizens and the Human Development Index (HDI) score of that same country. In other words, as a country’s HDI score increases, the average level of meaning felt is likely to decrease. This challenges our common assumptions about societal well-being.
Similarly, we developed the Youth Meaningfulness Index (YMI) – a tool which examines how children and youth experience meaning in their lives – based on data collected from over 7.000 children in Denmark, India, and Norway. The tool has subsequently been applied among youth in war-torn Ukraine.[11] Research has demonstrated that youth and adolescents who report their lives as meaningful tend to have better psychological health markers, higher life satisfaction, and overall emotional well-being.[12] Finding meaning in daily activities and corresponding purpose in life is associated with greater emotional well-being, academic success, and resilience.[13] As a result, meaningfulness is a metric that better reflects human well-being and societal progress for youth.
Such innovative metrics should also be applied to programmatic activities to ensure that impact is measured and accounted for comprehensively.
[9] https://voluntas.com/centers-of-curiosity/people-culture/
[10] https://voluntas.com/foundation/#gmi
[11] https://www.linkedin.com/posts/youth-meaningfulness-index_we-are-happy-to-announce-the-publication-activity-7226851052334047232-ceYY?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop
[12] CDA-UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. (2024, June 5). UCLA Center for the Developing Adolescent. Retrieved from https://developingadolescent.semel.ucla.edu
[13] Steger, M. F., O’Donnell, M. B., & Morse, J. L. (2021). Helping students find their way to meaning:
meaning and purpose in education. In The Palgrave handbook of positive education (pp. 551-579).
Cham: Springer International Publishing.