Networks of well-being in the Global South: a critical review of current scholarship

The subject of human well-being continues to gain traction in disciplines as diverse as psychology, sociology, development studies, and economics. Current scholarship, however, is still largely framed by normative assumptions about what being well means, and the overwhelming majority of conceptual approaches to well-being being have been conceived and applied by researchers in the industrialized, wealthy contexts of the global North. We critique the current conceptualizations of well being and assess their applicability to research in the global south, particularly in contexts marked by poverty and inequality.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Human Science Research Council SA
Published
2026-05-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.14749/32381553
Primary Topic
Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Networks of well-being in the Global South: a critical review of current scholarship

Human Sciences Research Council
Human Science Research Council SA
Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
article

Networks of well-being in the Global South: a critical review of current scholarship

Human Sciences Research Council
article en

Abstract

The subject of human well-being continues to gain traction in disciplines as diverse as psychology, sociology, development studies, and economics. Current scholarship, however, is still largely framed by normative assumptions about what being well means, and the overwhelming majority of conceptual approaches to well-being being have been conceived and applied by researchers in the industrialized, wealthy contexts of the global North. We critique the current conceptualizations of well being and assess their applicability to research in the global south, particularly in contexts marked by poverty and inequality.

Human Science Research Council SA
No poverty
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction
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Networks of well-being in the Global South: a critical review of current scholarship — Human Sciences Research Council · Human Science Research Council SA (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS