Welfare index

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A welfare index is a measure of the welfare of a society. Welfare indexes are seen as an alternative to gross domestic product (GDP).

In contrast to GDP, a welfare index takes into account other values ​​beyond mere added value. These are e.g. B. ecological consequences such as the consumption of non-renewable resources or social consequences such as the distribution of income in a society. Accordingly, a welfare index is based on a model with assumptions about which factors increase the welfare of a society to what extent and in which cases this is not the case.

A welfare index that takes into account life expectancy and education in addition to gross national income per capita , but no ecological or other factors, is the human development index determined by the United Nations since 1990 .

history

The replacement or addition of another index to GDP has been discussed since the middle of the 20th century. So said Robert Kennedy in 1968:

"The Gross National Product [...] measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile"

“We cannot measure our national performance in terms of gross national product. [...] It measures everything, except those things that make life worth living. "

- Robert Kennedy

The discussion, especially in the USA, intensified as a result of events such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the financial crisis from 2007 . Calculations showed that the cyclone had a positive impact on the United States as a percentage of GDP.

Similar considerations have existed in some Asian countries since the 1970s, leading to the concept of gross national happiness in Bhutan.

Situation in Germany

In Germany, a “National Welfare Index” (NWI) has been discussed more intensively for some time. The proposal only includes values ​​that can be measured in monetary terms in around 20 individual components. These are:

  1. Income Distribution Index
  2. Weighted private consumption
  3. Value of housework
  4. Value of volunteer work
  5. Public spending on health and education
  6. Costs and Benefits of Durable Consumer Goods
  7. Costs for journeys between home and work
  8. Traffic accident costs
  9. Crime costs
  10. Costs of alcohol , tobacco and drug use
  11. Social expenses to compensate for environmental pollution
  12. Costs from water pollution
  13. Costs from soil pollution
  14. Air pollution damage
  15. Damage from noise
  16. Loss or gain due to changes in biotope area
  17. Damage caused by the loss of arable land
  18. Replacement costs due to the consumption of non-renewable energy sources
  19. Damage from greenhouse gases
  20. Costs of using atomic energy

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Welfare index: Pro and Contra Wirtschaftsdienst, 93rd volume, 2013, issue 2, pp. 66–67
  2. ↑ a b NWI 2.0 - further development and updating of the National Welfare Index p. 26
  3. ^ Robert F. Kennedy: Remarks at the University of Kansas, March 18, 1968. In: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum> The Kennedy Family> Robert F. Kennedy> Robert F. Kennedy Speeches. March 18, 1968, accessed August 16, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Jasper Bergink: Robert F. Kennedy: measure what makes life worthwhile | For a state of happiness. In: For a state of happiness. June 23, 2014, Retrieved August 16, 2020 (American English).
  5. ↑ NWI 2.0 - further development and updating of the national welfare index page 27
  6. ↑ NWI 2.0 - further development and updating of the national welfare index page 43