Advice council: government should not only look at finance when it comes to prosperity

The government must take a much broader view of the concept of 'prosperity' rather than just focusing on the financial side, which is currently the case, said the Raad voor de leefomgeving en Infrastructure (Rli), which is the advisory Council for the Environment and Infrastructure. "The extent to which we experience prosperity depends not only on our wallet but also on other issues. For example, a suitable home, safety in our living area, clean air, clean water, good education, and good health care," said the Rli.

"Various aspects of this broad prosperity are currently not doing well in the Netherlands," the Rli stated. "There is increasing pressure on the available space, the quality of nature, and the environment. The cohesion in society is also under tension."

To improve this the advisors said that the government must make different decisions. "If the government carefully and systematically takes into account the consequences for broad prosperity when making policy measures, it can lead to better decisions," it said. According to the council, this is not happening enough at the moment.

According to the Rli, anyone who wants to promote 'broad prosperity' should always consider the long-term and the short-term effects. They should also consider the effect other measures that have been taken here or in different areas of the world have had. If the government really wants to do it right, then the council thinks that there should be a budget for the non-financial sides of prosperity.

The council recognized that "a new way of working like this is not easy to implement." Yet the government can take concrete measures. This starts with collecting information about "all themes that can be of interest for broad prosperity." That information then has to be used in a systematic and focused way.

All in all, according to the Rli, "a significant cultural change is needed."