Towards sustainable well-being : moving beyond GDP in Canada and the world

"This manuscript provides international and Canadian perspectives on the possibilities for “beyond-GDP” measurement, i.e. alternative or complementary metrics that could allow a move beyond reliance on the Gross Domestic Product as the dominant indicator of economic and social performance. It examines a wide range of ways to measure wellbeing and related issues of sustainability, as well as lessons from the growing number of efforts around the world to measure wellbeing differently and bring those measurements into the policy process through complementary actions and new policy tools. Six main questions tie together the various chapters: What have been the policy and other impacts of key beyond-GDP measurement initiatives so far? What are the most promising possibilities and policy applications for beyond-GDP measurement? Which approach to wellbeing measurement should guide construction of a beyond-GDP indicator or indicator dashboard? What complementary measures and related policy tools can help ensure that new measurements are not merely calculated and published, but taken into account in policymaking? What are they key barriers to introducing beyond-GDP metrics and using them in decision-making? What are the key next steps for beyond-GDP measurement?"--