Sunstein questions what the relationship between the state and social well being is. The author argues that GDP is an inadequate measure of social well-being and that we lack an adequate alternative. To overcome the limits of GDP, the author offers a simple proposal: Democratic governments should produce an annual “quality of life report,” designed to measure their performance in producing good lives for their citizens. In the course of the discussion, the author offers a great deal of data about social and economic trends within the United States.
