Gross domestic product: Are other measures needed?

Barbara M. Fraumeni
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Barbara M. Fraumeni: Hunan University, China, NBER, USA, and IZA, Germany

World of Labour, 2017, No 368, 368

Abstract: Gross domestic product (GDP) is the key indicator of the health of an economy and can be easily compared across countries. But it has limitations. GDP tells what is going on today, but does not inform about sustainability of growth. It does not measure happiness, so residents can be dissatisfied even when GDP is rising. GDP does not consider environmental factors or reflect what individuals do outside paid employment. It might increase in times of military conflicts and after natural disasters or terrorist acts, as the loss of property is not counted. Hence, complementary measures may help to show a more comprehensive picture of an economy.

Keywords: GDP; macroeconomic measures; national income accounting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B4 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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