How’s Life in Latin America?:Policy through a well-being lens: Experiences from LAC and wider OECD countries

The LAC region faces a number of persistent challenges to societal well-being, which are being aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Addressing these challenges calls for a multidimensional approach to public policy. This chapter describes how such an approach can help LAC countries to address the highly interconnected challenges they face by: 1) systematically focusing government action on the well-being outcomes of greatest need; 2) fostering a more coherent, whole-of-government approach to improving societal well-being; 3) encouraging more anticipatory governance; 4) strengthening the social contract between governments and citizens; and 5) leveraging new forms of international co-operation. Practical examples are provided of how a multidimensional approach can be embedded throughout the policy cycle.