EU Beyond GDP: The potential of the EU Beyond GDP initiative to change the way how decisions are taken and how well-being is measured

In November 2007 the European Commission together with the European Parliament, the Club of Rome, the WWF and the OECD organized the Beyond GDP conference to initiate an increased debate on the topic that GDP needs to be complemented with further indicators in order to avoid its misuse as a measure for general well-being in future. This book investigates the extent to which the Beyond GDP initiative is conducive to achieve the goal of replacing or at least sufficiently complementing GDP with further indicators. It thereby, first of all, compares the amendments that have been proposed by the initiative with respect to classical GDP. After that, the actual sustainability focus of the European Union is being analyzed, whereby the question is raised whether the EU places equal importance on all three pillars of sustainability or whether the economic one supersedes the social and environmental ones. Finally, the core of this book is addressed by looking first at the current use of GDP and on this basis at the reactions and achievements so far and ultimately at the potential to replace or sufficiently complement GDP with other indicators.