Abstract
Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while initially conceived to measure economic activity, is now the most widely used indicator for societal progress and wellbeing. Its contemporary (mis)use has been documented and discussed in 'Beyond GDP' research. This mini-review brings a food systems lens to Beyond GDP research by providing an overview of the limitations of GDP as an indicator of wellbeing, and by illustrating examples of how these are embodied in Canadian food system policy. We offer a brief summary of some established and emerging areas of research dedicated to improving assessments of societal wellbeing in policy development. We highlight connections between Beyond GDP research and advocacy for food system policy reform and suggest that strengthening connections between the two areas of research and advocacy can help center societal wellbeing within food system policy research and development in Canada.
Highlights
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a measure of the total monetary value of all final goods and services within a jurisdiction, usually measured over a year
After the second world war, GDP was adopted by international financial institutions, notably the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as the standard for tracking economic activity with a single, convenient, aggregate statistic
Many have called for improved frameworks to move beyond GDP and ensure that our decisionmaking is informed by values such as ecological health, quality of life, equality, political voice etc. (Stiglitz et al, 2009; Giannetti et al, 2015; Raworth, 2017; Podlasly et al, 2020; Washington and Maloney, 2020). This mini-review article brings a food systems lens to this body of work, referred to as draw from 'Beyond GDP' scholarship to advance literature. It provides an overview of the well-documented limitations of GDP as a guiding policy metric, and presents examples of how these are embodied within Canadian agriculture and food policy
Summary
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a measure of the total monetary value of all final goods and services within a jurisdiction, usually measured over a year. GDP is the most widely used governmental indicator for societal progress (Costanza et al, 2009; Raworth, 2017) The assumption underlying this application is that increasing economic production will increase societal wellbeing. (Stiglitz et al, 2009; Giannetti et al, 2015; Raworth, 2017; Podlasly et al, 2020; Washington and Maloney, 2020) This mini-review article brings a food systems lens to this body of work, referred to as draw from 'Beyond GDP' scholarship to advance literature. It provides an overview of the well-documented limitations of GDP as a guiding policy metric, and presents examples of how these are embodied within Canadian agriculture and food (agri-food) policy. We conclude by suggesting opportunities to draw from Beyond GDP scholarship to advance research centering wellbeing in Canadian agriculture and food policy
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