What is the issue?
The problem is that the continuing primacy of GDP and economic growth as the main measure of national success (in Scotland) drives expenditure decisions which create unsustainable investment projects, damaging our environment and which do not promote wellbeing and social cohesion. The limitations and vagaries of GDP are well catalogued, and the subject of current debate.
LINK wishes to influence Scottish Government to move away from this, as its primary measure, and to include and rely on other indicators alongside GDP to assess whether Scotland is ‘flourishing’. These would include indicators for environment and for wellbeing, derived from LINK’s specification of sustainable development, which will get as much popular recognition as GDP.
LINK has requested the support of the Friends Provident Foundation to build awareness and support across sectors to encourage a changing approach to the measurement of success.
What will the project try to achieve?
LINK will develop other measures and will advocate that they be equal to GDP and included in the system of measurement, the Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework, and in public scrutiny of the country’s success.
It will also promote the more effective use of an improved National Performance Framework as a tool to inform long-term decision making for sustainability in Scotland in future and for improved sustainable development scrutiny by the Scottish parliament.
LINK members will make stronger arguments and will increase their engagement with the wider voluntary sector, business interests, professional associations, youth and other groups to make common cause about long-term resilience and to monitor Scotland’s progress and the level of media interest in these issues.
Who might be interested in this project?
The issues are of interest to a very wide range of organisations in the voluntary, business and public sector, across the policy spectrum. Also to Members and Committees of the Scottish Parliament, and Scottish Government Departments & Agencies responsible for future use of the National Performance Framework at national and local levels. This is an increasing area of interest to the media, to LINK’s member organisations and their memberships, and to a wider interested public.