National Association of Planning Councils 2010 Conference

Community planning for “the new normal": National perspective and what communities are doing to respond to the new realities was the theme of the 2010 National Association of Planning Councils Conference held April 16 - 18 in Alexandria, VA. The conference included dialogue with outstanding national speakers and leading community planning practitioners from all across America. The conference was attended by leaders who are planning for the well-being of the people and communities they serve. Speakers examined “the new normal” and discussed essential insights, approaches and possibilities to provide attendees with the knowledge, flexibility, and skills needed to think in new ways and use new tools and technologies. See the NAPCC Conference website for details.

Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Network 3rd Annual Conference

The Third Annual Public Performance Measurement and Reporting Conference, held March 18-19, 2010 in Chattanoogo, TN, featured presentations, papers, panels, workshops, and case studies on issues of performance measurement in the public and nonprofit sectors. In addition to government-based performance measurement, the conference also focused on the role of nonprofits and community organizations in collecting and using government performance measurement data.

5th International Gross National Happiness

Gross National Happiness (GNH) is a concept offered several decades ago by the King of Bhutan. It is a framework for measuring individual and societal well-being that acknowledges their holistic nature. GNH inspires the creation and application of appropriate alternatives to indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The aim of the 5th International Conference on Gross National Happiness was to exchange ideas and engage in serious dialogues and discussions on

• Importance and need for alternative development approaches;
• New/alternative approaches to development and its practical application;
• Measurement of true societal progress and the need for new/alternative indicators to track progress;
• Environment, development and sustainability;
• Wellbeing and quality of life issues in development; and
• Shift in focus towards non-economic side of development.

The conference was attended by leaders, policy makers, practitioners, civil society organisers, intellectuals and academics working on issues, problems, questions and topics of local, regional, national or international importance for a range of development issues.

3rd World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy

The OECD held its 3rd World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy in Busan, Korea from October 27-30, 2009. The theme of the conference was Charting Progress, Building Visions, Improving Life. Close to 2000 participants from more than 100 countries participated including politicians and policy makers, opinion leaders, Nobel laureates, statisticians, academics, journalists and representatives of civil society. Videos and additional material from the conference are available on the web site of the OECD Global Project Measuring the Progress of Societies.