“It measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.” - Robert KennedyIt's the number that world leaders constantly talk about, using it as proof of what a great job they are doing.But what does it actually mean? What does it tell us, and what doesn't it tell us? And what would happen if we stopped using it altogether?
Measuring growth in history
Simon Kuznets & the invention of GDP
John Maynard Keynes & popularising GDP after WWII
How to calculate GDP
Why GDP started being used & when it was useful
Criticism of GDP #1: What is (and isn't) counted as part of GDP
Criticism of GDP #2: Positive and negative contributions to GDP
Criticism of GDP #3: Unpaid work & GDP
GDP per capita as a measure of 'how well we are doing'
Is all consumption good?
Bhutan & measuring happiness
Alternative #1: The Human Development Index
Alternative #2: The Human Capital Index
Alternative #3: The Genuine Progress Index
Abandoning measuring GDP altogether?
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