Indicators – Ditch GDP and Measure What Matters Or: Why Should We Celebrate Growth If It’s Just Making Life Worse?

View larger image Abandon GDP as a measure of social progress
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Redefining Progress Beyond GDP
Right now, governments obsess over GDP growth like it's the only thing that matters. But what does GDP actually measure? Essentially, GDP is a measure of monetary transactions in society. The assumption of economics is that if more money floats around the world gets better. Below is a few examples of why this is not the case:

🌍 More oil spills = GDP goes up (because cleanup costs money).
💊 More sick people = GDP goes up (because of medical bills).
🏦 More financial speculation = GDP goes up (even if it's just rich people making money off money).
🚫 GDP doesn't measure well-being. It doesn't measure justice. It doesn't measure sustainability. It doesn't measure care work. $1000 of healthcare and $1000 of arm sales to Israel for the genocide in Palestine are the same thing as far as GDP is concerned.
✅ This policy is about ditching GDP and using indicators that actually reflect social and ecological health.  

Policy Objective - Redefining Progress Beyond GDP

Right now, governments obsess over GDP growth like it’s the only thing that matters. But what does GDP actually measure? Essentially, GDP is a measure of monetary transactions in society. The assumption of economics is that if more money floats around the world gets better. Below is a few examples of why this is not the case:

🌍 More oil spills = GDP goes up (because cleanup costs money).

💊 More sick people = GDP goes up (because of medical bills).

🏦 More financial speculation = GDP goes up (even if it’s just rich people making money off money).

🚫 GDP doesn’t measure well-being. It doesn’t measure justice. It doesn’t measure sustainability. It doesn't measure care work. $1000 of healthcare and $1000 of arm sales to Israel for the genocide in Palestine are the same thing as far as GDP is concerned. 

✅ This policy is about ditching GDP and using indicators that actually reflect social and ecological health.

Indicators Policy Instruments 👇

Remember: Policy instruments are the means by which governments can achieve the degrowth goals/objectives we urgently need!

💡 Translation: Let’s measure things that actually make life better.

GDP only tracks money changing hands—not whether people are thriving.


🚫 The problem?

If forests burn, GDP grows—but the planet suffers.

If people are overworked, stressed, and miserable—GDP still grows.

If unpaid care work (like parenting, community service) supports society—it doesn’t count at all.


📌 How this policy seeks to address this

📊 Use the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) – tracks social well-being, inequality, and sustainability.

😊 Adopt the Happy Planet Index (HPI) – measures how well-being and sustainability intersect.

🌿 Track environmental health, social equity, and economic stability together.

💥 Growth isn’t the goal—thriving is.

💡 GDP is a terrible way to measure success, and people need to know why.

Right now, politicians, businesses, and the media treat GDP like the ultimate scoreboard.


🚫 The problem?

📉 GDP ignores inequality – a country can “grow” while most people get poorer.

🌍 GDP ignores ecological collapse – industries destroying the planet still count as “growth.”

🏡 GDP ignores unpaid labor – care work, community support, and social well-being aren’t counted.


📌 How this policy seeks to address this

🏛 Educate policymakers – make sure they know GDP is outdated and misleading. 

📢 Teach the public – expose the flaws of GDP through media, schools, and campaigns.

🌿 Push for policy decisions based on well-being, not endless economic expansion.

💥 If your economy is “growing” but your people and planet are suffering, what’s the point?