High economic growth, often measured by gross domestic product (GDP)-the total amount of goods and services a nation produces-is a central goal of many countries. But an ever-increasing GDP may be neither sustainable nor desirable in the long run. Some scholars and policy makers propose alternative models like "green growth," requiring GDP to take into account its impact on the environment, or "degrowth," shrinking economies rather than expanding them by reducing consumption and production. Rather than using GDP to measure a nation's success, they suggest developing other metrics, such as Gross National Happiness or a Genuine Progress Indicator.Those who question whether GDP is the best way to measure growth and societal wellbeing argue that it disregards rising socioeconomic inequality and the pervasive poverty that exists even in wealthy nations. They further argue that GDP and economic expansion typically overlook numerous costs of unchecked growth, such as environmental degradation and climate change. Those who defend high economic growth argue that, as the key driver of prosperity, it lifts millions of people out of poverty, fuels innovation, and provides vital resources for public services and infrastructure development. Such growth, they further argue, also creates the wealth necessary to fund efforts to slow climate change and preserve the planet. Does economic growth cost too much? Audio only.

Originally released by Open to Debate, 2023. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on June 06, 2024.