GDP
When you think about the problems with GDP, it’s likely you don’t think about Lady Gaga. But, in fact, how her work is captured and valued by national economic indicators is relevant to the beyond GDP conversation. We’ve written continuously about how GDP is not a complete measure of our economic...
06/03/2013
Blog
Contrary to most analysts’ predictions GDP actually declined last quarter by 0.1 percent, according to the BLS estimates. A decline in GDP generally indicates a contraction in the economy, but is that what’s really going on?
One of the main reasons GDP declined was a 22 percent decrease...
01/30/2013
Blog
Tomorrow’s fourth quarter GDP release will likely show a growth rate of around 1.1. percent, a substantial slowdown from the third quarter rate of 3.1 percent. Economists will report that this means the economic growth is slowing. Yet, as we ask continually, what is actually being measured by GDP?...
01/29/2013
Blog
This Explainer explores how the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is used in measuring our economic growth and whether alternative measures are also needed to provide a more comprehensive outlook of economic progress.
What is GDP and How Is It Used?
GDP measures the output of goods and services...
01/29/2013
Publication
The newest GDP release shows an increase of 1.5 percent in the second quarter of 2012, down from a 1.9 percent growth in the first quarter and three percent growth in 2011. But, as we continually ask in our Beyond GDP work: What exactly is GDP measuring?
As we’ve highlighted, GDP doesn...
07/26/2012
Blog
Last week Vermont lawmakers passed groundbreaking legislation establishing a Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) for the state.
Vermont's Governor, Peter Shumlin, signed the bill this week, adding momentum to a national and global movement for going Beyond GDP in the metrics we use for...
05/09/2012
Press Release
Tamara Draut, Vice President for Policy and Programs at Demos, appeared on "Up with Chris Hayes" on MSNBC, explaining that GDP has painted an incomplete picture of America for decades.
03/05/2012
Video
When you look closer at what is happening in our society, it is clear that GDP growth has failed to deliver. For example, while GDP roughly doubled between 1980 and 2007, the distribution of all that money has left us more unequal today than at any time since the 1920s. GDP, in other words, tells...
02/21/2012
News/Resource
The fifth annual MetLife survey of American value ideals shows a significant shift from prioritizing achieving professional success and material wealth to having a greater sense of personal fulfillment, particularly among younger generations. Millennials preferred a sense of personal fulfillment...
01/31/2012
News/Resource
The 2011 fourth quarter GDP numbers released today show a 2.8 percent growth in economic activity, due in part to the increase in spending around the holidays. But, what do GDP numbers really show? A new report from Demos, Beyond GDP, looks at the flaws in our dependence on GDP as the sole measure...
01/29/2012
News/Resource
