The article on well-being as a new development concept seems offering new perspectives to develop a more comprehensive approach to development. But is it more than just putting a new label to development itself? In the article, the author referred to a definition of well-being as a ' state of being with others, where human needs are met, where one can act meaningfully to pursue one's goals and where one enjoys a satisfactory quality of life'. That definition could also easily be applied to the notion ' development'. The well-being concept seems not much more than development itself.

Well-being is a second-order concept. One cannot realize well-being in a direct way. Well-being consists of a lot of concrete aspects of people's life. And in the reality of individuals and communities well-being is contextual: whereas for some health is the most important aspect of well-being, for others education, for others security, for others jobs, for others identity is the most important aspect. And, to make it more complicated, people and communities define well-being in different ways over a period of time. In different periods of life different aspect of well-being are urgent and pressing for attention and answers. As a second order concept, well-being offers not much more than development itself. At the direct level of interventions it doesn't offer enough guidance for programs and projects.

Rene Grotenhuis (mailto: rene.grotenhuis@cordaid.nl)