The Little Big Number

How GDP Came to Rule the World and What to Do about It

Dirk Philipsen (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

416 Seiten

2015
Princeton University Press (Verlag)
978-0-691-16652-0 (ISBN)

Artikel merken

In one lifetime, GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, has ballooned from a narrow economic tool into a global article of faith. As The Little Big Number demonstrates, this spells trouble. While economies and cultures measure their performance by it, GDP only measures output. It ignores central facts such as quality, costs, or purpose. Sustainability and quality of life are overlooked. Losses don't count. The world can no longer afford GDP rule--GDP ignores real development. Dirk Philipsen demonstrates how the history of GDP reveals unique opportunities to fashion smarter goals and measures. The Little Big Number explores a possible roadmap for a future that advances quality of life rather than indiscriminate growth.

Dirk Philipsen is a German- and American-trained professor of economic history at the Sanford School of Public Policy and a senior fellow at the Kenan Institute for Ethics, both at Duke University.

Acknowledgments vii Introduction: We Become What We Measure 1 Casting a Spell 9 Exploring a Path 13 1. More, Better, Faster: The Beginnings 19 Productivity, Growth, and Success 20 Goals and Measures 27 Values and Measures 32 2. The Origins of Bling: The Spirit of Economic Growth 40 The World of Growth: Refining the Measure 52 Business Accounting Goes National 57 3. The Crucible of Crisis: The Great Depression and the Need for Economic Indicators 65 4. Born from Disaster: The Making of a Key Measure 83 The Challenge 84 The Players 89 The Method 93 The Findings 99 The Big Conundrum: Translating Findings into Action 102 5. Forged in War 107 6. Global Domination: The Age of GDP 117 For Richer or Poorer 117 A Stunted Priesthood 121 Stopgap Consensus 123 Going Global 128 New Rules 130 GDP Junkies 133 Shackled in Fool's Gold 139 7. Today's ABC of GDP 143 It's an Emperor, but Does It Have Clothes? 152 Why It Matters 157 8. More Is Not Enough 160 The Little Big Number: Our Report Card for Success 174 Emerging Dissent 178 9. "The People of Plenty Are a People of Waste" 184 Breaking the Spell 204 10. From Alchemy to Reason: What If? A Thought Experiment 208 Mental Cobwebs 219 One More Time: Simon Kuznets 230 Clearing a Path 236 11. Looking Forward 243 A Daring Vision 250 A Moment of Possibility 265 Appendix A. The Measure as Guide 271 Notes 277 Bibliography 351 Index 389

Zusatzinfo	2 halftones. 9 line illus. 3 tables.
Verlagsort	New Jersey
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 235 mm
Gewicht	709 g
Themenwelt	Geschichte ► Teilgebiete der Geschichte ► Wirtschaftsgeschichte
	Wirtschaft ► Volkswirtschaftslehre ► Makroökonomie
	Wirtschaft ► Volkswirtschaftslehre ► Wirtschaftspolitik
ISBN-10	0-691-16652-8 / 0691166528
ISBN-13	978-0-691-16652-0 / 9780691166520
Zustand	Neuware