What should replace GDP? | Annegeke Jansen | University of Oxford

What should replace GDP? | Annegeke Jansen | University of Oxford

by Annegeke Jansen

Humanities, Social Sciences & Thought Economics & Finance KCEconomicsKCGEconomic growth
🎙 Annegeke Jansen 👥 3K 📅 December 9, 2025 ⏱ 16 min 👁 412 📄 research presentation 🧭 2026-08-16
Available in: English (current) Français

Keywords

GDPwellbeingsustainabilityindicatorspolicy

Summary

Annegeke Jansen presents her research on moving beyond GDP to measure societal progress. She begins with a brief history of GDP, noting its origins in wartime and postwar reconstruction, and its subsequent rise as a policy goal. She highlights criticisms of GDP, including its neglect of distribution, sustainability, and wellbeing. Jansen reviews various scientific approaches to wellbeing measurement, such as subjective wellbeing, welfare economics, need theories, and the capability approach. She synthesizes these into a tripartite framework with three pillars: current wellbeing, distribution, and sustainability. She applies this framework to analyze existing beyond-GDP indicators and country initiatives, noting a lack of harmonization. She discusses critical choices, such as simplicity vs. comprehensiveness, standardization vs. country-specific approaches, and science-based vs. citizen-led processes. She proposes a dashboard structure that combines a headline index with underlying indicators, allowing for cultural additions. She concludes by reflecting on the potential of life satisfaction as a headline indicator, while cautioning that it must integrate inequality and sustainability concerns.

161 words

Critical Evaluation

Value of the Information & Strength of the Argument

The presentation offers valuable insights into the complexities of moving beyond GDP. Jansen effectively argues that the choice of indicators shapes policy narratives, using the EU-US comparison to illustrate how different measures lead to different conclusions. Her tripartite framework provides a useful synthesis of diverse academic approaches, and her analysis of country initiatives highlights the need for harmonization. The argumentation is well-structured, moving from historical context to conceptual framework to practical implications. She acknowledges trade-offs and contradictions, demonstrating a balanced perspective. The proposal for a dashboard approach is pragmatic, addressing the need for both simplicity and comprehensiveness. However, the presentation lacks detailed empirical evidence or case studies to support some claims, and the discussion of critical choices could be more in-depth.

Scientific Rigor, Source Quality, Title Accuracy

The presentation is grounded in academic research, referencing the Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi report and recent UN expert group work. Jansen mentions her own published paper, co-authored with supervisors, indicating a rigorous scientific basis. The title accurately reflects the content, which is a research presentation on alternatives to GDP. The sources cited are credible and relevant, though the presentation does not provide specific citations for all claims. The adéquation between title and content is strong, as the talk directly addresses the question of what should replace GDP. The scientific rigor is evident in the systematic review of wellbeing measurement approaches and the careful consideration of policy implications.

240 words

Title / Content Match

The title accurately reflects the content, which discusses alternatives to GDP and proposes a framework for measuring wellbeing.

Quality & Reliability

8/10

Presentation based on a published paper with academic supervision, referencing established frameworks (Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi, UN expert group). Clear methodology and transparent reasoning, though limited detail on empirical methods.

Chapters

Cited Sources

  • Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report (2009) — Referenced as an influential work in the beyond GDP movement, providing a framework for measuring economic performance and social progress.
  • UN Beyond GDP Expert Group Report — Recent UN developments on beyond GDP, providing language and frameworks for sustainable and inclusive wellbeing.

Concurring Sources

  • Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report — Aligns with the tripartite framework of current wellbeing, distribution, and sustainability.
  • UN Beyond GDP Expert Group — Recent UN initiatives align with the proposed dashboard approach and language.

Contribution & Novelties

The presentation offers a novel synthesis of wellbeing measurement approaches into a tripartite framework, and proposes a dashboard structure that balances simplicity and comprehensiveness. It highlights the importance of harmonization and the need to integrate inequality and sustainability into headline indicators. The EU-US comparison provides a concrete illustration of how indicator choice affects narratives.

Pour aller plus loin :

  • Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Report — The seminal report on measuring economic performance and social progress.
  • OECD Better Life Index — An example of a wellbeing dashboard used by OECD countries.
  • Human Development Index — A composite index based on the capability approach.

99 words

Radar Profile

The radar profile shows high scores across all dimensions, indicating a well-rounded presentation with strong information content, quality, technical depth, and reliability. The lowest score is in technical level, suggesting it is accessible to a general audience while still providing substantive insights.

Reliability 8/10