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Taking the First Steps beyond GDP: Maryland’s Experience in Measuring “Genuine Progress”

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  • Anders Hayden

    (Department of Political Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS B3H 4R2, Canada)

  • Jeffrey Wilson

    (School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China)

Abstract

Gross Domestic Product’s (GDP) limitations as a prosperity indicator are now widely recognized, leading to a search for “beyond-GDP” alternatives. The US state of Maryland has calculated one such alternative, the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), since 2010. What effect is Maryland’s GPI having in practice? Is there any evidence to date that the GPI has shaped policy and public priorities in ways that live up to its supporters’ hopes—whether for a transformative shift beyond the economic-growth paradigm or simply better policymaking? What key obstacles exist to fulfilling those goals? This article draws on semi-structured interviews with elite respondents—including Maryland’s former governor, senior public servants, academics, non-governmental organization employees and foundation leaders—involved in producing, advocating and using the GPI, along with analysis of relevant documents. Although significant impacts on policy are not yet evident and a change of governor has removed high-level support, the GPI initiative has revealed innovative possibilities for more environmentally and socially minded policymaking and introduced new ideas with potential long-term impacts. However, various challenges remain, including strengthening the political constituency behind the GPI, more deeply embedding it into the policymaking process and addressing the GPI’s own limitations in supporting a beyond-GDP economic narrative.

Suggested Citation

  • Anders Hayden & Jeffrey Wilson, 2018. "Taking the First Steps beyond GDP: Maryland’s Experience in Measuring “Genuine Progress”," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-24, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:2:p:462-:d:131107
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Anders Hayden & Jeffrey Wilson, 2016. "Is It What You Measure That Really Matters? The Struggle to Move beyond GDP in Canada," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(7), pages 1-18, July.
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    7. Kubiszewski, Ida & Costanza, Robert & Franco, Carol & Lawn, Philip & Talberth, John & Jackson, Tim & Aylmer, Camille, 2013. "Beyond GDP: Measuring and achieving global genuine progress," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 57-68.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Fabio Battaglia, 2023. "Build Back Worse: The Media Coverage of Well-being Metrics Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Crucial Cases of Scotland and Italy," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 521-573, April.
    3. Ambika Zutshi & Andrew Creed & Brian L. Connelly, 2018. "Education for Sustainable Development: Emerging Themes from Adopters of a Declaration," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(1), pages 1-15, December.
    4. Lejla TERZIĆ, 2020. "Is there a relationship between economic welfare and innovation performance? Evidence from selected European countries," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania - AGER, vol. 0(4(625), W), pages 159-168, Winter.
    5. V. K. Shrotryia & Shashank Vikram Pratap Singh, 2020. "Measuring Progress Beyond GDP: A Theoretical Perspective," Emerging Economy Studies, International Management Institute, vol. 6(2), pages 143-165, November.
    6. Bing Wang & Tianchi Chen, 2022. "Social Progress beyond GDP: A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of GDP and Twelve Alternative Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-18, May.

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