Community Wellbeing Indicators and the History of Beyond GDP
Author: Yunji Kim, Cornell University
Date: 2016
Abstract: Improving human wellbeing is a goal of most communities and nations around the world. But how do we measure it? Since the Great Recession, gross domestic product (GDP) and other growth-centric frameworks have been critiqued as not adequately capturing social welfare or progress. For example, while the GDP in the U.S. has recovered and continues to grow in recent years, unemployment and poverty remain above pre-Recession levels. What we measure and how we measure it matters, because our goals are often specified and evaluated by these indicators. Scholars and policymakers have suggested alternative measures of progress, such as community wellbeing. Critiques of GDP-centric models are not new; there has been a long history of calls for alternative measures of social progress. This brief describes community wellbeing indicators and their history, and recent developments at the local level. Understanding indicators and their ability to help measure progress in wellbeing is an important issue for communities in New York State and around the world.
Tags: Indicator history, Wellbeing,
Full Citation Journal: Kim, Y. (2016). “Community wellbeing indicators and the history of Beyond GDP.” Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
Link to Resource: https://cardi.cals.cornell.edu/publications/research-policy-briefs/community-wellbeing-indicators-and-history-beyond-gdp
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Date: 2016
Abstract: Improving human wellbeing is a goal of most communities and nations around the world. But how do we measure it? Since the Great Recession, gross domestic product (GDP) and other growth-centric frameworks have been critiqued as not adequately capturing social welfare or progress. For example, while the GDP in the U.S. has recovered and continues to grow in recent years, unemployment and poverty remain above pre-Recession levels. What we measure and how we measure it matters, because our goals are often specified and evaluated by these indicators. Scholars and policymakers have suggested alternative measures of progress, such as community wellbeing. Critiques of GDP-centric models are not new; there has been a long history of calls for alternative measures of social progress. This brief describes community wellbeing indicators and their history, and recent developments at the local level. Understanding indicators and their ability to help measure progress in wellbeing is an important issue for communities in New York State and around the world.
Tags: Indicator history, Wellbeing,
Full Citation Journal: Kim, Y. (2016). “Community wellbeing indicators and the history of Beyond GDP.” Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
Link to Resource: https://cardi.cals.cornell.edu/publications/research-policy-briefs/community-wellbeing-indicators-and-history-beyond-gdp
DOWNLOAD