The report “The Value of Social Production in Norway” was launched at Brain House, World Economic Forum, Davos, Switzerland on Wednesday 22 January 2025 during the Mental Health Day. The report introduces a new approach to measuring national prosperity through the concept of Mental Wealth – a metric that explicitly values social production alongside economic output. Social production is a measure of the value of unpaid contributions made by individuals across the life-course to strengthening the social fabric of communities and nations. These contributions are essential for social cohesion, resilience, and wellbeing and are overlooked by traditional macro-economic measures.

Main findings:
  • The total value of social production in Norway was estimated to be 284.4 billion Norwegian Kroner (NOK) in 2022, equivalent to 4.98% of Norway’s Gross Domestic Product.
  • Those that are traditionally undervalued in the formal economy made the greatest contributions to social production.
  • For example, the contribution of females was valued at 160 billion NOK, while for males it was 123.65 billion NOK.
  • The unemployed contributed significantly to family care and voluntary work.
  • Those aged 67-74 years, and those who were retired, disabled or unable to work in the formal economy also made substantial contributions, especially in helping other households.
Report contributors:
  • The Mental Wealth Initiative: Ms Kristen Tran, A/Professor Jo-An Occhipinti (Co-Director), Professor John Buchanan (Co-Director), Dr Ante Prodan, Dr Adam Skinner, Dr Troy Henderson, Mr Paul Crosland, Dr Hossein Hosseini, and Professor Ian Hickie.
  • Mr Frederic Destrebecq, Executive Director, European Brain Council
  • Mr Henrik Peersen, Secretary General, Norwegian Brain Council
  • Professor Harris Eyre, Executive Director, Brain Capital Alliance and Brain Economy Hub; Lead of Neuro-Policy, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy
  • Professor William Hynes, Senior Economist, World Bank
  • Ms Elizabeth Kuiper, Associate Director, European Policy Centre
  • Mr Pawel Swieboda, Founder, NeuroCentury; Senior Fellow, International Center for Future Generations
  • Professor Rym Ayadi, President, Euro-Mediterranean Economists Association (EMEA)
  • Mr Steven Carnevale, Mental Health Services Oversight & Accountability Commission, California, USA
  • Professor Petra Meier, Lead Scientist of the SIPHER Consortium applying systems science in public health and economic research, University of Glasgow.

The Mental Wealth Initiative (MWI) was founded in 2021 with the aim of promoting and understanding the factors that foster social and psychological health and contribute to thriving, productive and resilient communities. It is a transdisciplinary initiative of the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Centre in collaboration with the Business School and the School of Public Health.