Measuring tomorrow
Subtitle: accounting for well-being, resilience, and sustainability in the twenty-first century
By: Éloi Laurent
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 219
ISBN-13: 9780691170695
Subjects: Sustainability; Well-being; Econometrics; Resilience (Ecology); Measurement
Description: "How moving beyond GDP will improve well-being and sustainability Never before in human history have we produced so much data, and this empirical revolution has shaped economic research and policy profoundly. But are we measuring, and thus managing, the right things--those that will help us solve the real social, economic, political, and environmental challenges of the twenty-first century? In Measuring Tomorrow, Eloi Laurent argues that we need to move away from narrowly useful metrics such as gross domestic product and instead use broader ones that aim at well-being, resilience, and sustainability. By doing so, countries will be able to shift their focus away from infinite and unrealistic growth and toward social justice and quality of life for their citizens. The time has come for these broader metrics to become more than just descriptive, Laurent argues; applied carefully by private and public decision makers, they can foster genuine progress. He begins by taking stock of the booming field of well-being and sustainability indicators, and explains the insights that the best of these can offer. He then shows how these indicators can be used to develop new policies, from the local to the global. An essential resource for scholars, students, and policymakers, Measuring Tomorrow covers all aspects of well-being--including health, education, and the environment--and incorporates a broad range of data and fascinating case studies from around the world: not just the United States and Europe but also China, Africa, the Middle East, and India."--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction:; title: Values, data, and indicators -- -- Part I; title: The new empirical order: how indicators (mis)rule our economic world -- -- 1; title: The ascent of "datanomics": the case of the European Union -- -- 2; title: Good and bad indicators: the case of GDP -- -- Part II; title: Mapping and measuring well-being and sustainability in the twenty-first century -- -- 3; title: Income -- -- 4; title: Work -- -- 5; title: Health -- -- 6; title: Education -- -- 7; title: Happiness -- -- 8; title: Trust -- -- 9; title: Institutions -- -- 10; title: Material flows -- -- 11; title: State of the biosphere -- -- 12; title: Environmental performance -- -- 13; title: Sustainability -- -- Part III; title: Managing the well-being and sustainability transition -- -- 14; title: Valuing what counts -- -- 15; title: Engaging citizens -- -- 16; title: Building tangible and resilient transitions -- -- Conclusion:; title: Beyond (the end of) growth: Grasping our social-ecological world.