Comparison of Different Measures of Progress Essay

Submitted By mrg941
Words: 1174
Pages: 5
Open Document
For years Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been the most common factor we have used in order to gauge the overall strength of a country’s economy. The GDP of a country can be defined as the total value of the goods and services produced within a specific country in a year. Considering this we can see that GDP is a very broad measure of a country’s economic progress and fails to account for the social and ecological costs involved within a country. Given this knowledge we can draw comparisons between GDP and the Genuine Progress Index (GPI). The Genuine Progress Index provides a much more accurate picture of a country’s standard of living by taking into account things like a clean environment, household work, and volunteer organizations. The GPI helps to draw a line between the positive and negative actions of the economy in order to understand and build on a more sustainable economy. Here we can see that the GPI provides a more ecocentric view as it values the different aspects of the environment. A tool we can use as individuals to see how we contribute to our country’s GPI is the Ecological Footprint concept and the Human Development Index. Our own ecological footprint provides us with an individual understanding of how our daily routines and decisions impact the environment. Whereas the Human Development Index measures and ranks countries by separate levels of human development. Given all these tools of measurement and different concepts we can further discuss their implications for Canada’s position in the world. Gross Domestic Product for decades now, has been the leading aspect to which we draw conclusions based on a country’s economical well being. But we are now realizing that GDP is concerned only with the dollar value of the goods and services produced by a country during a one year span. GDP does not account for many other aspects of the economy including the social and ecological cost (GPI Atlantic, 2007). Therefore when we look at GDP to decide whether a country’s economy is healthy we are blinded to the negative contributors to a country’s GDP. For example when logging companies chop down trees, in terms of GDP we only see the dollar value from the lumber sold and don’t realize the cost to the environment and ecosystems that come with deforestation (GPI Atlantic, 2007). This is where the Genuine Progress Index provides much more accuracy in determining a country’s overall economic health. Perhaps the most important item that GPI brings to the table is that it is able to discern the costs of activities as either positive or negative creating a much more accurate picture of an economy’s strength. With the use of GPI we are able to put a value on our natural resources as they are being depleted and we can then recognize that as a significant cost, whereas GDP calculations will only see the depletion of our natural resources as a financial gain. Ultimately as we compare GDP with the GPI we can see how GDP depicts everything as a profit and therefore always shows growth in an economy as long as the GDP rises. Otherwise the GPI recognizes that not all goods or services have a positive financial gain rather it distinguishes certain actions as either positive or negative and understands the costs that these actions have on the environment. Considering this knowledge while calculating the GPI gives us insight on how to model a more sustainable economy. A way we as individuals can measure our own impact on the environment is through calculating our ecological footprint. An ecological footprint is the amount of land consumed on average by each person in the world for food, water, transport, housing, waste management, and other purposes (Global Footprint Network, 2009). This means that us as people leave behind a footprint on the earth that is a reflection of the resources that we consume during our lifetime. When calculating our ecological footprints we can clearly see how our everyday decisions have a direct impact
Show More

Related Documents: Comparison of Different Measures of Progress Essay

Volunteer: Peep Essay

the care-giving environment and maternal mental health and child outcomes related to cognitive and socioemotional development. The six year span of the study afforded the opportunity to measure effects year by year from ages 1 to 5, and to measure the rates of progress of each group of children between the different points in time. Key findings The effects of PEEP on parents PEEP parents, compared to similar parents with no access to the programme, reported a significantly enhanced view of their…

Words 4033 - Pages 17

Examples Of Texas Assessment: Student Portal Guide

Texas Assessment Student Portal Guide STAAR, TELPAS, TAKS Have a question? Contact Pearson’s Austin Operations Center. Call 800-627-0225 for technical support Monday–Friday, 7:30 am–5:30 pm (CT). Updated June 2015 Copyright © 2015, Pearson Education, Inc. TEXAS ASSESSMENT STUDENT PORTAL GUIDE STUDENT PORTAL GUIDE Table of Contents NOTES Introduction.............................................................................................................. 1 Logging In................…

Words 4810 - Pages 20

Analyzing Three Fluency Assessment Tools

book is different, I hope I am reflecting on the correct three fluency assessment tools. The three fluency assessment tools listed are the One-Minute Reading Sample (Oral Reading Fluency-ORF), Oral Reading Fluency Norms CBM Scoring Procedures, and the Multidimensional Fluency Scale. These three assessment tools have a lot in common when it comes to assessing students’ fluency. The first comparison is all three of the assessment tools can be used for screening assessments as well as progress-monitoring…

Words 415 - Pages 2

Lafarge's Merger

merger. These tools, developed by the most proficient acquires from companies that have had successful mergers, track results closely and hold executives accountable for hitting their targets on schedule. Using these tools, leaders can manage and measure the difficult tasks, as well as increase both control over outcomes and positive returns through cultural integration (Stafford & Miles, 2013).…

Words 513 - Pages 3

Is Two Different Ways Of Measuring Economic Development Compared To Other Countries

Studying development is essentially about measuring how developed one country is compared to other countries or to the same country in the past. It is common knowledge that each country is aiming to be defined as developed. For us is to determine which measure is a better representative of how country is developed HDI or GNP per capita. Firstly, we will define what economic development is. Secondly we will compare Gross National Product and Gross Domestic Product. Thirdly, we will outline the problems…

Words 1876 - Pages 8

Essay on Comparison Of Hospitals

Comparison of Hospitals Catherine Drake HCA 375 Continuous Quality Monitoring & Accreditation Instructor Kahla LaPlante November 24, 2014 When comparing quality hospitals one has a lot of thinking and decision making. For instance do they go from word of mouth or from research that they have done or do they just go and hope for the very best. Comparing Uintah Basin Medical Center against home town hospital Ashely Reginald Medical Center. They are exactly a half hour apart travel wise. On resides…

Words 620 - Pages 3

Companies: Financial Ratios and Company Essay

liquidity, which measures a company’s ability to convert any assets to cash, and how quickly they are able to do so, in order to meet any financial responsibilities the company must meet. To get a good idea of how liquid a company is, an efficient test would be to compare the company’s current assets and current liabilities, as well as observing the company’s ability to convert account receivables and inventory into cash in a short period of time. Here are the different ratios used to measure Company…

Words 2516 - Pages 11

Brandt Line Assessment Final Essay

state, this essay’s objective will be to recreate a new Brandt line, with updated data, using other two different developing indicators.1 For this reason, the new self-made Brandt line will show the current situation of the northern and southern art of the world by using updated data. One of the indicators that I decided to use is the HDI (human development index), which provides a complex measure of three dimensions of human development: a healthy life and longevity which is measured by life expectancy…

Words 1099 - Pages 5

Cooperative Learning: Does It Improve The Academic Achievement Of Students With Handicaps?

learning on achievement. Reviews by Sharan (1980) and Slavin (1983b) reported that cooperative learning methods are superior to traditional classroom methods. Sharan (1980), however, reported that "these gains are not consistent for all groups or on all measures" (p. 255); Slavin (1983b) concluded that achievement gains result only if the cooperative learning methods include group study and group reward for individual learning. In an evaluation of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning methods…

Words 4152 - Pages 17

Major Assignment Combined Essay

amount of GHG produced, normalized emissions (emission intensity) link the produced GHG to a financial measure or a measure of activity and thus, might be more appropriate when comparing performance among different companies (CDSB 2012). By providing the detailed guidelines for environmental reporting, GRI meets users’ needs from different countries. However, various legislation requirements from different countries might cause differences in reporting. According to Choi and Mueller (1984), various factors…

Words 2357 - Pages 10