Comments on: The Limits of GDP http://www.theworld.org/2009/10/29/economic-recovery/ Global Perspectives for an American Audience Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:58:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: farang http://www.theworld.org/2009/10/29/economic-recovery/comment-page-1/#comment-3581 farang Sat, 31 Oct 2009 22:33:35 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=17931#comment-3581 In the piece, Angus Deaton said: "We must measure well being broadly, including not only income but other measures such as health, education, democratic and social participation, as well as measures of well being as people themselves perceive them" As a start, economists should start focusing more on employment statistics, because in America the last two recessions (early 90s and early 00s) had "jobless recoveries" and it appears the current (now ended?) recession will be "the mother of all jobless recoveries," or even a "jobLOSS" recovery. A "recovery" is meaningless to people if they can't find a job, and what purpose do economic statistics serve if they don't provide "real" insights into how average people are faring? Simply giving Wall Street traders more statistics with which they can place bets and play arbitrage doesn't cut it. http://farangbaa.com/?q=content/i-got-two-nobel-laureates-on-my-side In the piece, Angus Deaton said:

“We must measure well being broadly, including not only income but other measures such as health, education, democratic and social participation, as well as measures of well being as people themselves perceive them”

As a start, economists should start focusing more on employment statistics, because in America the last two recessions (early 90s and early 00s) had “jobless recoveries” and it appears the current (now ended?) recession will be “the mother of all jobless recoveries,” or even a “jobLOSS” recovery. A “recovery” is meaningless to people if they can’t find a job, and what purpose do economic statistics serve if they don’t provide “real” insights into how average people are faring? Simply giving Wall Street traders more statistics with which they can place bets and play arbitrage doesn’t cut it.

http://farangbaa.com/?q=content/i-got-two-nobel-laureates-on-my-side

]]> By: Ron McLinden http://www.theworld.org/2009/10/29/economic-recovery/comment-page-1/#comment-3578 Ron McLinden Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:01:58 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=17931#comment-3578 This report deserves a lot of serious discussion and action if we are to achieve a truly sustainable global society in a resource-limited and climate-changed world. The conference being planned for next June in Vermont is an encouraging step. --Ron McLinden, Kansas City, Missouri This report deserves a lot of serious discussion and action if we are to achieve a truly sustainable global society in a resource-limited and climate-changed world. The conference being planned for next June in Vermont is an encouraging step.

–Ron McLinden, Kansas City, Missouri

]]> By: Tom Barefoot http://www.theworld.org/2009/10/29/economic-recovery/comment-page-1/#comment-3532 Tom Barefoot Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:04:06 +0000 http://www.theworld.org/?p=17931#comment-3532 Excellent article. For more information on Gross National Happiness and the first US Conference on GNH in Burlington, Vermont June 1-4, 2010 and the upcoming 5th International GNH Conference in Brazil, November 19-23rd 2009 at www.gnhusa.org . Beyond critiques of GDP, there is a lot of very serious work on perfecting indicators for social and environmental well-being. Excellent article. For more information on Gross National Happiness and the first US Conference on GNH in Burlington, Vermont June 1-4, 2010 and the upcoming 5th International GNH Conference in Brazil, November 19-23rd 2009 at http://www.gnhusa.org . Beyond critiques of GDP, there is a lot of very serious work on perfecting indicators for social and environmental well-being.

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