We at CWWH welcome the ambition to strengthen Sweden’s growth capacity and are proud to have been invited to respond to these important inquiries.

Our contribution focuses on one central point: wellbeing growth should be recognized as a strategic lever for strengthening long-term productivity. Wellbeing is not merely a social outcome of growth — it is a productive factor.

A large body of research in economics and behavioural science demonstrates that higher levels of wellbeing and happiness are associated with increased productivity, stronger labour market attachment, lower absenteeism, greater creativity, and improved long-term health outcomes. These mechanisms translate into measurable macroeconomic effects. Yet national growth strategies continue to rely almost exclusively on traditional output metrics such as GDP.

In our response, we therefore argue for systematically integrating wellbeing indicators into the analytical framework of productivity policy — not as a replacement for GDP, but as a complementary, empirically grounded indicator of long-term value creation and societal resilience.

If we aim to increase prosperity in a sustainable way, we must also measure — and invest in — the factors that causally contribute to it.

We have already begun this work in Stockholm together with Stockholm Business Region, Region Stockholm and Stockholms Handelskammare, and we see strong potential to expand it into a long-term national strategy for Sweden.

Our full responses are available:

Remissvar Finansdepartementet

And here.