A counter to the GDP: The GPI- Genuine Progress Indicator

An advisory group is poised to make recommendations to the Shumlin administration on implementing a new measure of economic well-being. Last year the legislature gave a green light to the establishment of a Genuine Progress Indicator.

Vermont's adoption of GPI reflects an increasing interest among states to incorporate the indicator in policy decisions.

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In a famous 1968 speech, presidential candidate Robert Kennedy pointed out that the GDP takes into account all economic activity, even when it’s potentially harmful to our well-being.

“Gross National Product counts air pollution, and cigarette advertising; ambulances to clear our highways. It counts special locks for our doors and jails for the people who break them,” Kennedy said.


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UVM professor of ecological economics Jon Erickson was a co-author of the report. He says Vermont is working with 18 other states to standardize the Genuine Progress Indicator.

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http://digital.vpr.net/post/other-states-joining-vermont-develop-genuine-progress-indicator?google_editors_picks=true

yeah, yeah, I know. Vermont doesn't count. It's an anomaly. It's not representative of this country as a whole, etc, etc.
That may all be true, but it is a laboratory for progressive ideas and policies.