UpFront Blog: Measuring new indicators of growth

India is among the many countries rethinking what it means to be a prosperous and developed country. The concept of Gross National Happiness in Bhutan and the United Nations’ World Happiness Report are some examples of this re-thinking on human development around the world. In his February 2018 budget speech, Indian Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also outlined his government’s priority on ensuring ‘ease of living’. New Zealand is at the forefront of this issue, with plans to be one of the first countries in the world to measure its success against how it performs socially, culturally and environmentally.

To discuss some of the ways to rethink indicators of well-being, Brookings India and the New Zealand High Commission organised a private discussion with Gabriel Makhlouf, Secretary and Chief Executive to the Treasury of New Zealand and Shamika Ravi, Senior Fellow and Director of Research at Brookings India and Member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council.  The discussion was held at the New Zealand High Commission.