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Do Beyond GDP indicators initiated by powerful stakeholders have a transformative potential?

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  • Malay, Olivier E.

Abstract

The last four decades have seen a proliferation of new indicators aiming to challenge GDP. But do they really produce new outcomes? By observing the rankings they produce (compared to those produced by GDP), the potential of 6 Beyond GDP indicators to suggest a way towards a more social and ecological society has been examined. The conclusion is that rankings from indicators initiated by powerful stakeholders are highly correlated with rankings according to GDP, demonstrating a low transformative potential.

Suggested Citation

  • Malay, Olivier E., 2019. "Do Beyond GDP indicators initiated by powerful stakeholders have a transformative potential?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 100-107.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecolec:v:162:y:2019:i:c:p:100-107
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2019.04.023
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    2. Mattia Guerini & Fabio Vanni & Mauro Napoletano, 2022. "E pluribus, quaedam. Gross domestic product out of a dashboard of indicators," Working Papers 2022.15, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    3. Jari Lyytimäki & Hanna Salo & Robert Lepenies & Leonie Büttner & Jyri Mustajoki, 2020. "Risks of producing and using indicators of sustainable development goals," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(6), pages 1528-1538, November.
    4. Olivier E. Malay, 2020. "How to articulate beyond GDP and businesses’ social and environmental indicators?," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2020014, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    5. Arash Hajikhani & Arho Suominen, 2022. "Mapping the sustainable development goals (SDGs) in science, technology and innovation: application of machine learning in SDG-oriented artefact detection," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(11), pages 6661-6693, November.
    6. Ottaviani, Fiona & Le Roy, Anne & O'sullivan, Patrick, 2021. "Constructing Non-monetary Social Indicators: An Analysis of the Effects of Interpretive Communities," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 183(C).
    7. Stephen Morse, 2020. "To Rank or Not to Rank with Indices? That Is the Question," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-20, July.
    8. Hoff, Jens V. & Rasmussen, Martin M.B. & Sørensen, Peter Birch, 2021. "Barriers and opportunities in developing and implementing a Green GDP," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    9. Olivier E. Malay, 2021. "How to Articulate Beyond GDP and Businesses’ Social and Environmental Indicators?," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 155(1), pages 1-25, May.

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