HYVIS – the Good Life Index

With funding from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, MDI implemented a research project in which the aim was to map the good life of municipalities and village communities and, on the basis of the survey, develop the Good Life Index to support municipal strategic planning and knowledge management.The project diversified the discussion about the good life and the indicators and narratives that describe it. Alongside growth and employment, research took into account the various dimensions of social sustainability, such as the experience and inclusion of individual relevance, community cohesion and social integrity, the accessibility and relevance of services and the quality of the physical environment. The study focused on the transition to a sustainable society and empowerment: how will change be implemented while promoting the well-being of residents and the conditions in which communities and businesses operate? The project examined the stated goal sets of municipal strategies and the measurement of development and the good life in all Finnish municipalities based on them. In addition, the analysis was deepened using various qualitative methods approaches to address specific issues in a select number of municipalities.

The project was in cooperation with Sami Tantarimäki and the Brahea Center at the University of Turku. The project was funded by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on the proposal of a project group set up by the Rural Policy Council, with financing from the Rural Development Fund’s national rural research and development projects.