Gross Domestic Problem: The Politics Behind the World's Most Powerful Number

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Zed Books, Feb 26, 2013 - Business & Economics - 224 pages

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is arguably the most well-known statistic in the contemporary world. It drives government policy and sets priorities in a variety of vital social fields - from schooling to healthcare. Yet this it has come to be regarded by many as a "problem." Does our quality of life really improve when our economy grows 2 or 3%? Can we continue to sacrifice the environment in the name of infinite economic growth?

In Gross Domestic Problem, Lorenzo Fioramonti takes apart the "content" of GDP - what it measures, what it doesn't and why - and reveals the powerful political interests that have allowed it to dominate today's economies. He also shows that an alternative is possible.

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About the author (2013)

Lorenzo Fioramonti is Jean Monnet Chair in Regional Integration and Governance Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Pretoria (South Africa), where he directs the Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation. He is also Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social Investment of the University of Heidelberg and at the Hertie School of Governance (Germany) as well as Associate Fellow at the United Nations University.

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