New OECD Index shows education contributes to better life
Education is one of the 11 most essential dimensions for a better life, according to a new report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The Better Life Index, launched at the OECD Forum in Paris, France, offers a refreshing change in the OECD’s approach. Ever since the OECD was set up in 1961, gross domestic product (GDP) has been the main factor by which it has measured and understood economic and social progress.
Moving away from GDP, the OECD’s Better Life Initiative focuses on education and ten other factors that impact on people's lives and contribute to well-being in OECD countries. The 11 factors are: community; environment; governance; health; housing; income; jobs; life satisfaction; safety, work-life balance, and education.
The interactive new tool profiles the 34 OECD member countries across these indicators of well-being, and will eventually be extended to include the OECD's six partner countries of Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Russia, and South Africa, which represent the world's other major economies.
Your Better Life Index also allows users to input different weights on each of the topics, and thus decide for themselves what contributes most to well?being. Comparing one’s vision of a better life with the actual progress of the country helps to become a better?informed citizen and better impact the policymaking process.
Senior Consultant to EI General Secretary, Bob Harris, attended the launch and noted that the new OECD Index is: “Interactive and imaginative. Anyone can use it to get OECD data from PISA, Education at a Glance and others, in a usable and user friendly way. It could be a great tool for EI affiliates in the 34 OECD countries to get access to recent and politically significant data. It could also be a really useful campaign tool in each country.”
EI encourages its affiliates to share the tool and utilise it for their members’ needs, providing them with a means to exert pressure on national authorities to take urgent action to improve quality of life standards, primarily through quality public education for all.
To learn more about the Better Life Index please visit: www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org
