Mirëqënien

Mirëqënien is an Albanian noun referring to the state of well-being or welfare of individuals and communities. It encompasses a holistic condition in which people have access to health, education, adequate income, secure employment, housing, social inclusion, personal safety, and a healthy environment, enabling them to pursue goals with dignity. The term is formed from mirë meaning good and qenien or qenie, meaning being or existence. In Albanian grammar, mirëqënien is the definite accusative form of mirëqenie, used when the word functions as a direct object in a sentence.

Conceptually, mirëqënien denotes more than material prosperity. It emphasizes the overall quality of life and the capacity of a society to sustain and improve the welfare of its members over time. Dimensions commonly associated with mirëqënien include health outcomes, educational attainment, income and employment, housing conditions, social inclusion, safety, and environmental quality. The concept is used in philosophy, sociology, and public policy to discuss how social arrangements, institutions, and policies contribute to people’s lived experience of well-being.

In policy and research, mirëqënien is often analyzed alongside or as an alternative to purely economic indicators such as GDP. Proponents favor multidimensional measures that incorporate health, education, and subjective well-being, while critics caution against oversimplification or cultural bias in what constitutes a good life. Internationally, indicators like the Human Development Index, life expectancy, poverty rates, and happiness surveys are used to approximate aspects of mirëqënien.

See also: well-being, quality of life, welfare, social policy, development economics.