Source: SourceOCDE Economie générale et études prospectives, Volume 2008, Number 6, September 2008 , pp. i-595(596)

Publisher: OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Abstract:

Is life getting better? Are our societies making progress? Indeed, what does "progress" mean to the world's citizens? For a good portion of the 20th century there was an implicit assumption that economic growth was synonymous with progress: an assumption that a growing GDP meant life must be getting better. But we now recognize that it isn't quite as simple as that. Access to accurate information is vital when we come to judge our politicians and hold them accountable. But access to a comprehensive and intelligible portrait of that most important of questions - whether or not life has got and is likely to get better - is lacking in many societies.

The OECD's 2nd World Forum on Statistics, Knowledge and Policy 'Measuring and Fostering the Progress of Societies' held in Istanbul in June 2007 brought together a diverse group of leaders from more than 130 countries to debate these issues. These proceedings contain 40 papers presented at the Forum.

Foreword

Introduction

Istanbul Declaration

PART ONE. MEASURING PROGRESS: DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR POLICY MAKING AND DEMOCRACY?

Chapter 1. Measuring Progress: Does it make a Difference for Policy Making and Democracy? by Angel Gurría

Chapter 2. How Key National Indicators Can Improve Policy Making and Strengthen Democracy by David Walker

Chapter 3. Promoting Progress: Making it Happen by Roy J. Romanow

PART TWO. MEASURING PROGRESS AND POLITICAL PROCESSES TO FOSTER PROGRESS

Chapter 4. Beyond Measuring: The Council of Europe's Instruments Contributing to the Progress of Societies by Andreas Siegel

Chapter 5. Global Public Goods for Local Decision Making: Empowerment through Evidence by Julio Frenk and Octavio Gómez-Dantes

Chapter 6. Evidence-based Policy Making: Just a Myth or a Must? by Cynthia A. Glassman

Chapter 7. Empowering and Challenging Voters through Governance Indicators: The Philippine Experience by Romulo Virola

PART THREE. ACCOUNTABILITY AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Chapter 8. The Importance of Social Reality for Europe's Economy: An Application to Civil Participation by Marcel Canoy, Frédéric Lerais, Massimiliano Mascherini, Andrea Saltelli and Daniele Vidoni

Chapter 9. Power to the People: Indicators for Accountability by Shailaja Chandra

Chapter 10. Connecting Communities with Community Indicators by Alex Michalos

PART FOUR. MEASURING PROGRESS: PEOPLE'S PERCEPTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE

Chapter 11. People's Perception vs. Reality: Drawing Lessons from the Use of Statistics in the European Union by Joaquín Almunia

Chapter 12. What U.S. Consumers Know About Economic Conditions by Richard T. Curtin

Chapter 13. Special Eurobarometer Europeans Knoweledge on Economical Indicators by Antonis Papacostas

Chapter 14. What Do Citizens Know about Statistics?: The Results of an OECD/ ISAE survey on Italian Consumers by Flora Fullone, Michela Gamba, Enrico Giovannini and Marco Malgarini

PART FIVE. SUBJECTIVE MEASURES OF WELL-BEING

Chapter 15. A Short Introduction to Subjective Well-being: Its Measurement, Correlates and Policy Uses by André van Hoorn

Chapter 16. Measures of Gross National Happiness by Ruut Veenhoven

PART SIX. CHALLENGES FOR NATIONAL STATISTICAL OFFICES

Chapter 17. Innovative Statistics to Improve Our Notion of Reality by Henk K. van Tuinen

Chapter 18. Challenges of Data Collection: with Special Regard to Developing Countries by Asad Elahi

PART SEVEN. MEASURING PROGRESS: ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Chapter 19. An Effective Global Statistical System: A Prerequisite for Consistency in Global Measurements by Dennis Trewin

Chapter 20. Policy and Statistical Issues Underpinning Financial Stability: The IMF Perspective by Robert W. Edwards

Chapter 21. International Integration and Societal Progress: A Critical Review of Globalisation Indicators by Philippe de Lombaerde and P. Lelio Iapadre

Chapter 22. Understanding Retirement Savings and Pensions by Len Cook

Chapter 23. Key Role of Cultural and Creative Industries in the Economy by Hendrik van der Pol

Chapter 24. Measuring and Improving Government Performance by Joe Grice

Chapter 25. Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage in Australia by Gary Banks

Chapter 26. Trends in Worker Requirements and the Need for Better Information to Make More Informed Decisions in a Global Economy by Randall W. Eberts

Chapter 27. Child Development, Human Development and the Progress of Societies by Fiona Stanley and Stephen R. Zubrick

Chapter 28. Human Capital and the Older Worker: The Need for Solid Indicators by Peter Ester and Marcel Kerkhofs

Chapter 29.

Document Type: Review article

Publication date: 2008-09-01

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