to Quality in Life,
Beyond GDP
Rising GDP is not in itself a measure of progress. It misleads because (a)
GDP considers only prices and (b) GDP includes everything bought, when
some act adversely.
But Q, totalled over product life, sums perceived quality of use.
So when product Qs corresponding to adverse personal or communal
burdens are subtracted out and made negative the number Net Sum:Q
will trend differently than GDP. It can stagnate or fall even as GDP rises,
yet upwardly respond to contextual improvement in quality of life.
Recent attempts to measure progress through Wellbeing or Life
Satisfaction are based on ever more complex assemblies of indicators.
Although this approach has the political advantage of recognizing every
voice, it is hindered by the systemic invariance, or regression to mean,
imposed by Easterlin’s Paradox.
Not only can Net Sum:Q resolve this (as explored HERE), but it can
perhaps steer us towards improved quality in life better than any other
economic measure.
