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Comment by graemep

1 year ago

It is an interesting idea. It might be possible to improve measures by subtracting some things that can be adjusted for that are harmful. There are lots of problems though - for example, higher expenditure on health might be a result of worsening mental health (bad), or better provision of services (good).

That still does not solve the underlying problem. The aim of an economy is to maximise utility (vaguely defined as happiness, satisfaction with life) or more meaningfully defined as an individual's preferences, The problem is that we cannot meaningfully aggregate this across individuals to maximise for the whole economy.