Book

What Really Counts by Ronald Colman, Columbia University Press

Politicians and economists fixate on “growing the economy’ - measured by a country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) . But this yardstick counts harmful activities such as green house gas emissions, plastic waste and cigarette sales as gains, and it ignores environmental protection, voluntary community work and other benefits. What we measure is a choice, and what is and isn’t counted determines what sorts of policies are enacted. How can we shift the focus to well-being and quality of life?

Ronald Colman recounts decades of working with three governments, in Nova Scotia - Canada, New Zealand and Bhutan to adopt measures that more accurately assess true progress.

He has taken the critique of GDP outside the academy and attempted to realize an alternative. The lessons he offers in What Really Counts are vital for anyone interested in how we can measure what matters - and how better measures can help build a better world.

Find What Really Counts at Chapters

What Really Counts is a fantastic journey on a topic, the measurement of well-being - that should be at the core of the transformation of our economies and societies. We urgently need this perspective, especially after the coronavirus outbreak, to take our world onto a sustainable development path.

— Enrico Giovannini, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Former OECD Chief Statistician

Colman’s pioneering roadmap, built on creating a Genuine Progress Index in Canada and on his many years working with the Government of Bhutan, is a must for anyone interested in building a future that works for all. A page - turner!

— Mathis Wackernagel, Co-creator of the Ecological Footprint and Cofounder of the Global Footprint Network.

Unique, important, compelling and timely, What Really Counts gets below the surface of what  keeps our misguided reliance on GDP in place. Colman uncovers the political forces and vested interests involved in GDP measures and how they work together to stifle meaningful change toward a sustainable well-being economy and planet.

— Robert Costanza, Australian National University, Cofounder of the Field of Ecological Economics