Book review: Beyond GDP: measuring welfare and assessing sustainability

"Beyond GDP: Measuring Welfare and Assessing Sustainability." Marc Fleurbaey and Didier Blanchet. Oxford University Press. March 2013. --- Marc Fleurbaey and Didier Blanchet report on their quest for good indicators of social progress. In Beyond GDP they delve into the ethical considerations and the economic theory behind four alternatives. They explain why income cannot proxy welfare, why assessing sustainability requires making predictions, and how the equivalent income approach seems promising. Pedro Rodrigues recommends this book to policy makers and scholars of all social sciences, psychology, ecology and philosophy that are dissatisfied with GDP as a measure of social well-being.