The Great Invention

Reviews / Votes

"If you ever thought that economic policy could never make for gripping drama, try reading this book." * Dawn * "Fascinating. Whether happiness should be embedded into decisions on the economy is an important one, and whether GDP should be abandoned in favor of something better is too. Masood's book helps raise those questions and others in a thought provoking manner. That's much needed in every endeavor these days, and needed in few places more than in the economics profession" * Forbes * "An interesting book. Masood doesn't merely criticize the overreliance on GDP: he also explores ongoing efforts to develop a satisfactory substitute or supplement that would yield a more accurate picture of economic activity and its effects" * Foreign Affairs * "Masood contends that GDP is a bill of goods the developed world foisted on emerging nations. It is flawed, he argues, because the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country makes no reference to social well-being or inequality. Masood is also troubled by GDP's failure to consider the environmental damage that is, at times, a byproduct of growth. Many of Masood's criticisms have merit. He presents some interesting alternatives. He favors revolutionary change." * Wall Street Journal * "After reading it you'll never be able to treat GDP seriously again." * Sydney Morning Herald * "Masood covers decades of challenges to GDP conventions that make for a fascinating institutional and human story." * Nature * "In lively prose, Masood argues that GDP is flawed because it ignores volunteering, housework, environmental degradation, job satisfaction, and income inequality." * Publishers Weekly * "In lively prose, Masood argues that GDP is flawed because it ignores volunteering, housework, environmental degradation, job satisfaction, and income inequality." * Kirkus Reviews * "Masood's highly readable book is a useful reminder of what GDP is and what it isn't." * Science * "[A] sprightly and informative new history." * In These Times * "An important and interesting book that shows how trapped we have become by the idea of Gross Domestic Product-and reveals how important it is to develop alternatives that will help us reduce inequality and respond to climate change." -- Kate E. Pickett, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of York and co-author of 'The Spirit Level: Why Equality is Better for Everyone' "Highly readable. Masood poses troubling questions and lays the foundations for improvements to GDP." * Journal of Markets and Morality *