The Power of a Single Number: A Political History of GDP
By Philipp Lepenies.
Description
Widely used since the mid-twentieth century, GDP (gross domestic product) has become the world's most powerful statistical indicator of national development and progress. Practically all governments adhere to the idea that GDP growth is a primary economic target, and while criticism of this measure has grown, neither its champions nor its detractors deny its central importance in our political culture.In The Power of a Single Number, Philipp Lepenies recounts the lively history of GDP's political acceptance―and eventual dominance. Locating the origins of GDP measurements in Renais...
ISBN(s)
0231175108, 9780231175104
