Well-being of the territory, quality of life and level of happiness: Approaches to assessment

Introduction: modern approaches and methods for assessing the level of socio-economic development are constantly changing, adapting to the current demands of the time. There is constant discussion in scientific literature about the best way to measure certain parameters that affect the standard and quality of life of the population. In theory and in practice, attempts are being made to expand the list of standard economic indicators, supplementing them with social, environmental and even psychological parameters. Thus, concepts of sustainable development or a happy city are emerging. Objectives: to systematize the conceptual framework related to the concept of the territory’s well-being, to substantiate the factors influencing the well-being of a municipality, as well as to analyze approaches to assessing the well-being of municipalities from the perspective of their possible implementation in management practices. Methods: comparative, structural analysis, content analysis, synthesis, expert assessments. Results: the authors analyzed the methods of researching urban development based on the criterion of focusing on well-being, as well as their integration into management practices. As a result of the analysis, the following approaches to assessing well-being are identified: analytical, sociological, managerial, strategic, and comparative. The authors found that, despite the variety of assessment methods, there are currently no tools for studying the well-being of territories, and its measurement is often associated with assessing the level and (or) quality of life of the population. The article concludes that ensuring well-being (understood as the preservation and development of human capital, an increase in the quality of life of the population, synergy of economic/ infrastructural/ environmental development, etc.) is becoming a target area for the strategic development of territories, but it is still difficult to formalize this construct. Conclusions: the concept of well-being and happiness is becoming increasingly widespread in the scientific field and in practice, which requires improving both the content of the “well-being” construct and the methods of its measurement and evaluation. In the practice of state and municipal management, the assessment of well-being requires the integration of several approaches reflecting various aspects of territorial development and their synergy, considering the opinions and needs of the population. The use of various approaches to assess well-being becomes a prerequisite for improving the effectiveness of management decisions.