International Program on Genuine Progress Accounts

At the recent Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro (Rio+20) member states of the United Nations System called for new indicators of progress to complement or replace GDP. This echoes over two decades of similar pleas from economists, development practitioners, and communities across the world who realize that basing economic policy on the growth of GDP is misplaced and leading to development decisions that undermine rather than foster a sustainable society. The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI), which CSE help pioneer, is being increasingly adopted to meet this need. CSE is now working with the United Nations, individual countries, as well as state and local governments in the U.S. to begin economic performance monitoring, forecasting, and policy analysis using the GPI rather than GDP. Recently, the State of Maryland became the first U.S. State to formally adopt the GPI, Vermont followed suit, and Oregon is now exploring options. CSE will be working with the Institute for Policy Studies and other partners to help these and other U.S. states make the transition to the GPI and demonstrate its usefulness in guiding policy decisions. Read:

• GPI Accounts - United States 2006 Update
• Maryland's Governor O'Malley Hosts GPI Summit
• PGPA Powerpoint
• EU Beyond GDP Initiative
• Program Overview
• Newark Ledger Op-ed: How Sandy Reveals the Twisted Logic of GDP

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