Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0008-9021-4008

Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environmental Analysis

Reader 1

Melinda Herrold-Menzies

Reader 2

Lance Neckar

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Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

© 2025 Ethan H Yao

Abstract

Governments and organizations at the national, regional, and city levels are increasingly adopting wellbeing measurements and objectives to redefine progress. However, despite the inspiring successes of some wellbeing-based governance efforts worldwide, emerging initiatives face significant barriers and challenges, especially in the United States. This research employs a case study approach to examine the obstacles that have faced three collective wellbeing projects in the Greater Los Angeles region: the Pomona Valley Wellbeing Project, the Santa Monica Wellbeing Project, and the LA Regional Wellbeing Summit. Through a multi-methods qualitative approach (archival research and semi-structured interviews), this thesis finds that institutional fragmentation, limited organizational capacity and resourcing, political volatility, and challenges in community resonance are the primary obstacles to wellbeing projects. Deeper analysis finds that cross-sector misalignment, the absence of a national wellbeing framework, and the lack of comprehensive welfare infrastructure contribute to the lagging of these American wellbeing initiatives behind those in WEGo countries, where wellbeing is centered as an economic and social goal of governance. These conclusions indicate that while the U.S. policy context presents unique structural challenges, significant potential for progressing a broader movement towards wellbeing-centered governance can be seen through grassroots and cross-sector organizing.

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