Center for Research on Vermont
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Measuring Quality of Life in Vermont
March 08, 2004
| Length: | 1:24:00 |
| Next Air Dates: | No upcoming airtimes are currently scheduled |
Program Description:
In this seminar Robert Costanza and Jon Erickson discuss the application of a pair of empirical techniques to the question of measuring the quality of life in Vermont: (1) estimating the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) and (2) directly surveying Burlington residents about aspects of their quality of life. Both of these projects were carried out by students and faculty in "solution-based" courses in ecological economics at the University of Vermont (UVM). The Genuine Progress Indicator, a version of the Index of Sustainable Economic Welfare (ISEW), is a significantly more comprehensive approach to assessing economic progress than conventional measures like Gross Domestic Product (GDP). GPI adjusts for income distribution effects, the value of household and volunteer work, costs of mobility and pollution, and the depletion of social and natural capital. ISEW or GPI have been estimated for several countries around the world, but this report discusses its first application at the city, county, and state levels in Vermont. The speakers will show that it is feasible to apply the GPI approach at these smaller scales and to compare across scales and with the national average. The GPI per capita for all Vermont scales was similar to the national average in the 1950-1980 period, but more than twice the national average by 2000. The main factors explaining this difference had to do with Vermont
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