Forget economic growth - measure 'birdsong and lollipops' instead, top UN academics urge ministers
- Governments should think about other factors that make life better
- GDP growth does not take into account a good night's sleep, UN says
- Measure 'smiles', 'random acts of kindness' and 'access to lollipops'
The country's wealth should not be measured solely by money - but also include birdsong and lollipops, the UN has claimed.
Governments should look beyond profits and economic growth and take into account benefits which are less easy to measure, the global body said.
Trees, a good night’s sleep, and being able to wash clothes in a washing machine should be used alongside traditional GDP measures, Professor Anantha Duraiappah said.
The Song Thrush's distinctive song has been celebrated in poetry, but now the UN wants it to be measured alongside economic growth to gauge the health of a country
The Director of the UN University’s International Human Dimensions Programme said MPs were ‘missing some of the most meaningful and simple signs’ of successful countries
He said the number of teenage schoolgirls on a city street, as birds sing in the background is an important sign of a wealthy nation.
In poorer countries young girls are often forced out of education at a young age, while overcrowded and polluted cities discourage wildlife.
He said: 'New research has begun to show that people often value non-material wealth just as highly, if not more, than monetary wealth.
'When you wake up to the sound of chirping birds, you are listening to one of the simplest indicators of local environmental health.
'More sleep has been proven to lead to better interpersonal relationships, emotional intelligence and empathy toward others.
'A crowd of teenaged schoolgirls lining the streets of an African town is a rare sight. Fewer than one in five girls in sub-Saharan Africa are able to attend secondary school.'
At the moment, most countries measure GDP to gauge the health of a country’s economy. This measures the value of everything that Britain produces in a year.
But Prof Duraiappah believes that other signs of a good life are just as important.
The number of ice creams enjoyed during the summer could soon be measured alongside GDP to rank how wealthy a country is
He suggests monitoring smiles, random acts of kindness and access to lollipops, washing machines and eye glasses.
He said: 'Without glasses, school kids miss out on their potential to learn, and adults are unable to make the best of their most productive years.
'A man pulling his laundry from a washing machine is more well-off than a big portion of the world population - only 2 of 7 billion have access to a washer.
'With policymakers focusing on complex indicators to measure societies' success, it often seems as if they are missing some of the most meaningful and simple signs there are.'
Cambridge University economist Sir Partha Dasgupta said governments has also urged the Government to change what it measures.
He said MPs should think about the value of green spaces like parks.
He said: 'To leave a forest unmolested would be to invest in the forest - to allow a fishery to restock under natural conditions would be to invest in the fishery; and so on.'
Zakri Abdul Hamid, a member of the UN Secretary-General's Scientific Advisory Board, said adding new indicators did not mean eliminating GDP altogether.
He said: 'GDP provides valuable information about a country's production, expenditure, and income streams, as well as the flow of goods across borders.
'But the world's perspective on progress needs to be enlarged, balanced and integrated with social and environmental indicators.
'Only in this way can we respond to the unprecedented opportunities and challenges facing us in the 21st Century.'
The academics were speaking at a UN backed symposium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Most watched News videos
- 'I'm such a different person' Kim K cries over Paris robbery
- Lesson learned? Police taunt van driver for cutting queue
- Beatrix the dog and Midge the cat take each other on in 'boxing'
- Gun shots heard during police operation on house in Willesden
- North Korea produce visual of missile destroying White House
- Is this BIGFOOT? Creature seen lurking behind trees in Holland
- Tragic: Three police officers blown up in Mosul suicide attack
- Adorable little girl uses her fake phone to tell off a boy
- 12-year-old girl viciously beaten in middle school bathroom
- Jesus statue appears to MOVE its head during Mexican church mass
- Dramatic moment British man is kicked off Jamaica bound BA flight
- Dancing busker in Oxford Street contently shows off his moves