GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History

Abstract

Published by the Princeton University Press in 2014, this book ‘GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History’ written by Diane Coyle is a seminal work that helps understand how GDP has played a pivotal role throughout the last century in reorganizing the global economic and political relations. Cognizant of the multidimensional implications of taking GDP as the sole measure of development, the author broadens readers’ horizon on the idea of growth, development and social welfare. The book gains its authenticity not only by providing a consciousness on the discursive power of GDP, but also through historicising the GDP with its subjective and context dependent nature against universalising GDP as the ultimate measure of social welfare.