Richard Eckersley
Richard Eckersley is a fellow at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health at the Australian National University, Canberra. His work explores issues to do with progress and wellbeing, and whether or not life is getting better. It includes: measures of progress; the relationships between economic growth, quality of life and ecological sustainability; the social and cultural determinants of health and happiness; visions of the future; and young people and their world.
Richard's work has been brought together in a book, "Well & Good: Morality, meaning and happiness" (Text, 2004, 2005). He has edited three other books and has published over 100 journal papers, book chapters, monographs, and specialist magazine articles. He is a co-author of a national index of subjective wellbeing, the first of its kind in the world, and the Wellbeing Manifesto. He is also a member of the board of Families Australia, a peak national body representing families; a member of the ACT Government's Community Inclusion Board; and a director of Australia 21, a non-profit company established to promote interdisciplinary and cross-institutional networks on important challenges facing Australia this century.
His former positions include: ministerial consultant in two Commonwealth Government portfolios; principal issue analyst in the Office of the Chief Executive of CSIRO; senior analyst with the Australian Commission for the Future; head of the CSIRO Media Liaison Office; and science reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.
About his latest book
Richard Eckersley, Well & Good: Morality, Meaning and Happiness. 2nd edition. Text Publishing, Melbourne, 2005. RRP $24. www.wellbeingmanifesto.net
Available from bookshops or Text at www.textpublishing.com.au
"...One of the key strengths of this book is his ability to synthesise knowledge from myriad disciplines and arrive at a coherent story...very readable and accessible to a wide audience....I strongly recommend the book as general reading for anyone interested in the future of our society and as specific reading on a variety of public health courses where the teacher wants to encourage students to think beyond the square..." - Professor Fran Baum
Department of Public Health, Flinders University, SA.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health"Thought-provoking and insightful, this book synthesizes recent research and presents a range of perspectives on key social issues..." - The Futurist
"Handles the complex material beautifully…always clear, succinct and often personal." - The Age
"Affirms strongly the power of the human spirit to divert the cultural currents of history." - The Canberra Times
"Lucid and thought-provoking…has done an admirable job of addressing issues of importance to our emotional survival in a culture that often values things over people." - Herald Sun
Research Interests
- Indicators of progress and well-being, and the relationships between economic growth, quality of life and ecological sustainability.
- Social and cultural determinants of health and well-being.
- Young people's psychosocial well-being.
Recent Publications
Eckersley R. (in press), Is modern Western culture a health hazard? International Journal of Epidemiology.
Eckersley R. (in press), Global cultural change and young people's wellbeing, in Gale F,Fahey S. (eds.), Youth in Transition: The challenges of generational change in Asia. UNESCO.
Eckersley R., Wierenga, A., Wyn, J. 2005. Life in a time of uncertainty: optimising the health and wellbeing of young Australians. Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 183, no. 8, pp.402-404.
Eckersley, R, 2005. The quality of life. In Saunders, P. & Walter J. (eds), Ideas and Influence: Social Science and Public Policy in Australia. UNSW Press, Sydney.
Eckersley R. 'Cultural fraud': The role of culture in drug abuse. Drug and Alcohol Review, 2005;. 24: 157-63.
Eckersley R. Well & Good: Morality, Meaning and Happiness, Text Publishing, Melbourne. 2005
Eckersley R. Separate selves, tribal ties and other stories: making sense of different accounts of youth. Family Matters, 2004; 68, winter:36-42.
Eckersley R, Dear K. Cultural correlates of youth suicide. Social Science & Medicine 2002; 55 (11): 1891-1904.