GDP Is Not Destiny episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 21, 2026 · 4 MIN

GDP Is Not Destiny

from Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Podcast · host Social Progress Imperative

Ever wondered how we can really measure our quality of life? Economic growth is not the full answer. Michael Green explains the importance of going beyond GDP and why social progress matters. We compare the world's richest nations, like Singapore, with economic "underdogs" like Estonia and Costa Rica to reveal who is actually delivering a better life for their citizens. GDP is definitely not destiny! We go from "It's the economy, stupid," said in 1992, to why the United States' booming economy hasn't been able to translate its results into social progress. Why did the U.S. drop from 8th to 32nd in the world? We look at the outcomes that GDP ignores, like health, education, rights, and safety, to show you the real map of success. Other countries we analyze their Social Progress Score vs. their GDP per capita for are Malawi, Norway, Turkey, Egypt, Guyana, Qatar, Finland, Costa Rica, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, and the Central African Republic. Data from 1990 to 2020 available on the Time Series Social Progress Index: https://www.socialprogress.org/social-progress-index-time-seriesPlease follow and rate our show! Explore our work at https://www.socialprogress.org/Interested in the Social Progress Index? Learn more. Help us advance social progress across the world! Your donation makes a huge difference to us. Donate now! Want the full story? Subscribe to our newsletter! 

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Apr 21, 2026

Embed this episode

Ever wondered how we can really measure our quality of life? Economic growth is not the full answer. Michael Green explains the importance of going beyond GDP and why social progress matters. We compare the world's richest nations, like Singapore, with economic "underdogs" like Estonia and Costa Rica to reveal who is actually delivering a better life for their citizens. GDP is definitely not destiny! We go from "It's the economy, stupid," said in 1992, to why the United States...

Distinct summary based on available episode metadata or transcript content.

Ready to play

GDP Is Not Destiny

0:00 4:26

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Podcast?

This episode is 4 minutes long.

When was this Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on April 21, 2026.

Is there a transcript available for this episode?

Yes, a full transcript is available for this episode. You can read the complete transcript on the episode page.

Can I download this Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Podcast episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!