From description to diagnosis: toward a systems-based wellbeing approach for Ireland

This paper examines how Ireland’s 2021 wellbeing framework, an ambitious first step in adopting a wellbeing economy approach beyond “fickle” GDP-centric growth can evolve from a descriptive metric to a transformative policy driver by incorporating a systems thinking perspective. Ireland’s wellbeing framework, comprising 11 dimensions and 35 available-data indicators, enters public policy development relatively late after objectives are set, potentially limiting innovation. The framework, as is, is insufficient to generate change without a means of embedding it within the policymaking process more holistically. Thus, this paper recommends the integration of systems thinking to reveal opportunities for wellbeing economics-driven systemic change. This paper proposes an abductive, iterative cycle linking the wellbeing framework to policy: emergent objectives guide data review and systems mapping; evidence refines dynamic indicators; and wellbeing gaps reshape sectoral priorities. The paper concludes by redefining policy and framework development to achieve holistic, upstream progress.