The National/Regional Welfare Index as a substitute for GDP

By Michael Seifert

In his 2013 book The Power of One Number: A Political History of Gross Domestic Product, Lepenies writes on the very first page that there is no other statistical measure like GDP that has such an impact. It is the most powerful indicator in human history. Questions can be asked as to whether this position is justified or whether there is an alternative concept that could replace it. This book will discuss whether the NWI developed by Diefenbacher and Zieschank has the potential to do so. To this end, relevant concepts and models will be briefly defined at the beginning. This is followed by a detailed examination of the topic of an index. The Stiglitz-Sen-Fitoussi Commission and the Enquete Commission 'Growth, Prosperity, Quality of Life - Paths to Sustainable Economic Activity and Social Progress in the Social Market Economy' of the 17th German Bundestag are discussed in more detail. In the next step, the NWI will be compared with the findings of the two commissions. Finally, an overview of the discussion regarding GDP and NWI in further literature will be provided.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 6209641385
• ISBN13: 9786209641381
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Our Knowledge Publishing
• Length: 52 Pages
• Weight: 0.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"