Wellbeing has caught the attention of policymakers and practitioners because it offers new perspectives on what matters and new ways to assess policy outcomes and their impact in people’s lives. But a concern with wellbeing is not something completely new. It advances established agendas to recognise social and political alongside economic issues. It also opens up new conversations about some of the fundamental questions of public policy and society: What does it mean to live well? What is a good society? How can this be promoted and who is responsible for bringing it about?