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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS">I’ve just about finished reading a study called
“Mismeasuring Our Lives”. It’s a report by the internationally acclaimed
economists Stiglitz, Sen and Fitoussi, two of whom are Nobel Prize winners. I
read the hard copy version which is in book format and includes an introduction
by Nicolas Sarkozy. Sarkozy’s contribution is actually quite interesting, for he
includes the following observations:</FONT></P>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS">“All over the world, people believe they are being lied to,
that the figures are false, that they are being manipulated... And there are
good reasons for their feeling this way.”</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS">“In the comments on the commission’s work that Joseph
Stiglitz, Amartya Sen, and Jean-Paul Fitoussi sent me, I noted this sentence:
‘One of the reasons that most people may perceive themselves as being worse off
even though average GDP is increasing is <I
style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal">because they are indeed worse off.’</I> The
fact that some of our most prestigious economists are saying this so frankly was
absolutely indispensable in order for us to get things clear in our own minds,
to put the public debate back on a foundation of truth, and to change our
relationship with the truth.”</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt 36pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS">In my view this study is an excellent and important piece of
work, and is also very readable. It can be read here (but this version doesn’t
include the Sarkozy introduction):</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><A
href="http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr/documents/rapport_anglais.pdf"><FONT
size=3
face="Trebuchet MS">http://www.stiglitz-sen-fitoussi.fr/documents/rapport_anglais.pdf</FONT></A></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><o:p><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS"> </FONT></o:p></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS">If anyone is seeking inspiration for potential SSC project
work I would suggest that this study offers a treasure trove of
possibilities.</FONT></P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS"></FONT> </P>
<P style="MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3
face="Trebuchet MS">john</FONT></P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>