2016 ISQOLS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AUGUST 25-27)

CONFERENCE RE-CAP

The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies held its annual conference in Seoul, South Korea from
August 25th-27th, hosted by the Community Wellbeing Institute at Graduate School of Public Administration at Seoul National University. Nearly 200 participants from all over the world attended to share their
thoughts on the conference theme of bridging quality-of-life between East and West. Around 150 papers
were presented, spanning a wide variety of topics ranging from economics and employment, income and
inequality, work-life-balance, job satisfaction, poverty, consumption; public policy, governance, democracy, human rights, social justice, national tragedies, human suffering; community and sustainability, population, neighborhoods, immigration, technology, social networks, families, food systems, adolescence, education; QOL research methods, measurements, and indicators; health and wellbeing, mental health, aging,
elderly, disabilities; culture and religion, life satisfaction; and global happiness.

2016 ISQOLS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AUGUST 25-27)
CONFERENCE RE-CAP
CONFERENCE SPEAKERS: Conference participants had the privilege of hearing the
keynote speech by Dr. CHOI Oe-chool. Dr. CHOI Oe-chools presentation, The
Case of Koreas Saemaul Undong for Improving the Quality of Life of Rural Residents, reviewed Saemaul Undong- a community development movement that
greatly improved the quality of life for many in Korean society. The ISQOLS named
lectures included three renowned researchers in quality-of-life studies. The Alex C. Dr. CHOI Oe-chool
Dr. Liz Eckermann
Michalos Lecture on advances in quality of life theory and research was presented
by Dr. Seung Jong Lee. Dr. Lees presentation, Governance Innovation Under beyond
-GDP movement focused on the recent increase in happiness (or wellbeing) studies,
particularly among developed countries. The Edward F. Diener Lecture in Subjective
Well-Being Research was presented by Dr. Eunkook M. Suh. Dr. Suhs lecture, entitled, Culture and subjective well-being: How deep are the differences?", explored
how cultural influences can affect our perception of happiness. The Richard J. Estes
Lecture in Comparative Quality of Life Research was presented by Dr. Liz Eckermann.
Dr. Eckermann discussed the global impact of the Sustainable Development Goals as
Dr. Eunkook M. Suh
they relate to quality of life and well-being.
Dr. Seung Jong Lee
Thank you to all the speakers for your valuable contributions to the ISQOLS Annual Conference!
AWARDS: Each year, ISQOLS seeks to recognize members for their valuable
contributions to Quality-of-Life research. The following awards were presented
at this years conference: The Betterment for the Human Condition Award was
presented to Halloran Philanthropies for Substantial Contributions to the Use
of Quality of Life Research in Developing and Implementing Programs to Enhance Human Well-Being
Worldwide. Present to accept the award was Harry and
Kay Halloran, founders and chairs of Halloran Philanthropy, Joseph "Tony" Carr, President, and Audrey Selian. Two Distinguished Service Awards
were presented to Graciela Tonon and Rhonda Phillips. (Not in attendance: Distinguished Service Award: Valerie Moller; Research Fellow Award: Jan Delhey; Applied Research in Quality of
Life Best Paper Award of 2015 "Well-Being Distribution in the Globalization Era: 30 Years of Convergence, Vol 10(1),
123-140." Vanesa Jord, Jos Mara Sarabia). Congratulations to all award recipients!
ISQOLS and the Community
Well-Being Institute offered
12 travel scholarships to the
following participants:
Arunee Limmane, Asteria
Devy Kumalasari, Chang Kwon, Cristina Nataly Cadena Palacios,
Dabesaki Mac-Ikemenjima, Fengyu Wu, Gladys Mwangi, Humberto
Charles, Kelly K.L. Chan, Lim Li Chen, Martijn Hendriks, Yunji Kim.
Special thanks to the
Local Host Committee for their
planning and
coordination!

Thank you to our sponsors who

graciously funded our conference:
the Community Wellbeing Institute
(Social Science Korea, National Research Foundation of Korea);
the Graduate School of Public Administration, Seoul National University;
the Global Development Foundation;
and the Social Science Institute of
Chungbuk National University.