What is social progress and how can social indicators contribute to better understanding human well-being?

The latest edition of the Beyond GDP Newsletter sheds light on indicators for social progress, featuring the Social Progress Index (SPI), which measures the ability of a society to deliver social progress to its citizens. Michael Green, one of its initiators, provides insights on the main reasons for developing the index, the areas of social progress it captures, and how policymakers can apply the index at the national, regional and local scales. The SPI is composed of only social and environmental indicators, allowing for direct comparisons with GDP trends.

The newsletter also discusses a number of approaches on how to use social indicators in the context of European economic governance and the Europe 2020 Strategy. One interesting example is how information on youth unemployment can amend existing indicators of economic growth and development.

Since early 2014, IEEP has been responsible for the delivery of DG Environment’s quarterly Beyond GDP Newsletter. The newsletter provides information on important developments related to measuring progress, true wealth and the well-being of nations. To subscribe to the Beyond GDP Newsletter, please click here.