This open access book examines more than two centuries of societal development using novel
historical and statistical approaches. It applies the well-being monitor developed by
Statistics Netherlands that has been endorsed by a significant part of the international
statistical community. It features The Netherlands as a case study which is an especially
interesting example although it was one of the world¿s richest countries around 1850 extreme
poverty and inequality were significant problems of well-being at the time. Monitors of 1850
1910 1970 and 2015 depict the changes in three dimensions of well-being: the quality of life
'here and now' 'later' and 'elsewhere'. The analysis of two centuries shows the solutions to
the extreme poverty problem and the appearance of new sustainability problems especially in
domestic and foreign ecological systems. The study also reveals the importance of natural
capital: soil air water and subsoil resources showing their relation with the social
structure of the ¿here and now¿. Treatment and trade of natural resources also impacted on the
quality of life ¿later¿ and ¿elsewhere.¿ Further the book illustrates the role of natural
capital by dividing the capital into three types of raw materials and concomitant material
flows: bio-raw materials mineral and fossil subsoil resources. Additionally the analysis of
the institutional context identifies the key roles of social groups in well-being development.
The book ends with an assessment of the solutions and barriers offered by the historical
anchoring of the well-being and sustainability issues. This unique analysis of well-being and
sustainability and its institutional analysis appeals to historians statisticians and policy
makers.
