Oulton, Nicholas
(2012)
Hooray for GDP!
Centre for Economic Performance occasional papers,
CEPOP30.
Centre for Economic Performance, London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.
Abstract
Should raising the growth rate of GDP per capita be a policy goal of governments in general, and of the British government in particular? Many people would say no, for the following reasons: 1) GDP is hopelessly flawed as a measure of welfare; 2) Growing GDP is pointless since most people don’t benefit; 3) Raising GDP per capita is pointless as it doesn't make people any happier; and 4) The planet is finite, so further growth of GDP (at least in rich countries) is not feasible anyway. I discuss and reject all four of these objections. I urge the LSE Growth Commission to focus its efforts on policies to increase the growth rate of GDP per capita in the medium and long run.
| Item Type: |
Monograph
(Other)
|
| Official URL: |
http://cep.lse.ac.uk/ |
| Additional Information: |
© The Author |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
GDP, welfare, inequality, happiness |
| Library of Congress subject classification: |
H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory |
| Journal of Economic Literature Classification System: |
D - Microeconomics > D6 - Welfare Economics > D63 - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E6 - Macroeconomic Policy Formation, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, Macroeconomic Policy, and General Outlook > E61 - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination
O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O4 - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity > O47 - Measurement of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output (Income) Convergence |
| Sets: |
Collections > Economists Online
Research centres and groups > Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) |
| Rights: |
http://www.lse.ac.uk/library/collections/folder/LSERO.aspx |
| Identification Number: |
CEPOP30 |
| Date Deposited: |
23 Nov 2012 10:20 |
| URL: |
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/47498/ |
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