At their core, Wellbeing Budgets are about sustainable intergenerational wellbeing. This means that long-term, complex issues should be cornerstones of the budget process. But has making wellbeing the lodestar of fiscal policy facilitated this? Have decision-makers actually received the advice they need to make informed decisions about enduring policy problems?
A recent report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment reviewed whether the Government’s budget process takes into account the complexities and long-term nature of many environmental problems. The report recommends making several changes to the budget process to improve the way environmental considerations are handled and communicated through the budget process.
The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Simon Upton will present the findings from his report assisted by Dr Edwin Sayes and Dr Scott Kelly. This will be followed by a panel discussion about the findings and their application across the public sector with Prof Arthur Grimes, Prof Jonathan Boston and Dr John Reid.
Though the focus of this presentation is on the environment, it will be of interest to the wider policy community, especially those interested in topics of stewardship, wellbeing, and sustainability.
About Our Speakers
Simon Upton is the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (PCE). A Member of Parliament between 1981 and 2000, he held a variety of ministerial portfolios including environment, research, biosecurity and state services between 1990 and 1999. He has also served as Environment Director at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Edwin Sayes is a Senior Advisor to the PCE. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining the PCE, he was a Research Fellow in the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland.
Scott Kelly is the Chief Economic Advisor to the PCE. He is an adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Technology Sydney. He received his PhD in energy, economics and climate change from the University of Cambridge.
Arthur Grimes is a Professor at the School of Government at Victoria University of Wellington and inaugural holder of the Chair of Wellbeing and Public Policy. Arthur has a background both as a research economist and as a senior public policy official. He was Reserve Bank of New Zealand Chairman from 2003-2013, where he was previously Chief Economist.
Jonathan Boston is Professor of Public Policy in the School of Government at Victoria University of Wellington. His research interests include: climate change policy (both mitigation and adaptation); child poverty; governance (especially anticipatory governance); public management; tertiary education funding (especially research funding); and welfare state design.
Dr John Reid is a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Canterbury’s Ngai Tahu Research Centre. He is a specialist in leading and developing multi-disciplinary research and development programmes focused on addressing interrelated social, economic, and environmental problems.
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