Time to live well: well-being and time affluence for sustainable development

Abstract

In the face of challenges presented by climate change and rising social inequality on a global scale, scholars have criticised prevalent individualistic, economistic and materialistic definitions of well-being. In this context, Buen Vivir emerged as an alternative concept from Latin America, critically engaging with growth-centred development and current definitions of well-being. Buen Vivir promotes an alternative vision of well-being that relies on social practices, inter-personal relationships and an intact natural environment. The article argues to take up this inspiration and stresses the importance of a new conceptualisation of well-being. Thus, it presents the Index of Good Living (IGL) as an eudaimonic approach to measure well-being, resting on the concept of relational goods. The index uses time spent by individuals for certain activities as its main indicator, proposing a nuanced toolset to compare time-based inequalities in relation to well-being in different contexts. The paper discusses the theoretical and methodological aspects behind this approach and contextualises them with first empirical evidence from Ecuador and Germany. It illuminates strengths and potential openings for further refinement and indicates areas for transformative change – both in politics and in everyday life.