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Flourishing Ecosystem Model
Understanding what truly matters for human dignity and wellbeing
Our holistic model of human flourishing guides our understanding of the interconnections between capabilities, justice, wellbeing, relationships, environment, governance and purpose. It is the foundation on which every other part of our system is built.
Understanding what truly matters for human dignity and wellbeing
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Interconnected dimensions
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Shared vision of flourishing
What is the Flourishing Ecosystem Model?
The Flourishing Ecosystem Model is our conceptual map of what it means for people and communities to thrive. Rather than treating wellbeing as a single measure, it recognises flourishing as an ecosystem — a web of interdependent dimensions that rise and fall together.
By naming these dimensions explicitly, the model helps us see the whole person and the whole community. It reminds us that progress in one area can be undermined by neglect in another, and that lasting change requires attention to the connections between them.
Everything we research is ultimately in service of this model. It defines the horizon we are working towards and gives us a shared language for describing why our work matters.
The Building Blocks
The core elements that give this component its shape and power within our system.
Capabilities
The real freedoms people have to be and do what they value — education, skills, voice and opportunity.
Justice
Fairness, equity and the removal of the structural barriers that hold women and marginalised groups back.
Wellbeing
Physical, mental and emotional health as the ground on which every other dimension stands.
Relationships
The bonds of family, community and collaboration that sustain and dignify human life.
Environment
A healthy, sustainable natural world that current and future generations can depend on.
Governance
Accountable, inclusive institutions that enable people to shape the decisions affecting them.
Purpose
Meaning, contribution and the sense that one's life and work matter to something larger.
Principles That Guide Us
These commitments turn the Flourishing Ecosystem Model from an idea into a working part of how we do research every day.
We treat flourishing as interconnected — no dimension is pursued in isolation from the others.
We centre the people most often left out, ensuring the model reflects diverse lived realities.
We hold the whole picture in view, resisting the temptation to reduce human life to a single metric.
We use the model as a compass, checking that our research is genuinely oriented toward flourishing.
Flourishing is not one thing measured well, but many things held in balance — a living ecosystem of human dignity.
WRN Research Philosophy
The Ecosystem Model is where our system begins. It tells us what flourishing looks like, which the Flourishing Lens then translates into how we frame and conduct research, the Change Pathway turns into real-world impact, and the Research Cycle keeps refining over time.
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