What is wealth ? The misleading picture reflected by GDP

• Patrick VIVERET
  Referendum adviser, Cour des Comptes (National Audit Office)
  
• Pierre-Noël GIRAUD
  Professor of economics, École des mines de Paris
  
• Claude RIVELINE
  Professor of management, École des mines de Paris
  

Summary

Guy Hascoët, minister in charge of a united economy, pointed out that the contribution of associations and also that of the social and united economy to national wealth is systematically underestimated or even ignored by key indicators such as GDP. He gave Patrick Viveret the task of determining the factors reflecting wealth, the subject of a report he had just published. How can one hope to change our definitions of wealth which are accepted even by the most fervent opponents of political correctness ? Can such a transformation take place by simple reforms, or should it take a more radical form ? How should one conceive and above all use new indicators which, by taking into account both quantitative and qualitative data, necessarily amount to putting together two elements which are like chalk and cheese ?

Summary translated from French by Rachel MARLIN.

• The entire article was written by Élisabeth BOURGUINAT.

To obtain this article, you can :

• download it for free in French (PDF help) or contact ecopar@paris.ensmp.fr (Reference IN250302).

The entire article appears in French in the Journal de l'École de Paris du management N° 37.