WeD’s overall goal is to develop a conceptual and methodological framework for understanding the social and cultural construction of wellbeing in developing countries. To achieve this WeD is developing, piloting and implementing a suite of research tools and the purpose of the WeD Toolbox is to make these available to other researchers and a wider public.

The WeD research methodology has six distinct but interconnected research components. Each of these is intended to generate data on key elements of the WeD conceptual framework or the connections between the elements. The methodology has involved the use of a range of different research methods and often these have been adapted to what is appropriate for the particular research context. It involves the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data. The application of the methods is sequenced so as to ensure the accumulation or deepening of understanding of the social and cultural construction of well-being in the particular communities and societies being studied.

WeD is using the following suite of six research components.

1. Community Profiles
2. RANQ: The resources and needs questionnaire
3. IES: Income and Expenditure survey
4. QoL: Quality of Life
5. Process research
6. Structures and regimes

These have been developed with a view to balancing sensitivity to local realities with sufficient uniformity to permit comparison between the four WeD research countries. Data collection started in the middle of 2004 and is due to be completed by the end of 2005.

The aim of the WeD toolbox is to provide summary explanations of the six components. This will include detail on: