S.A.M.
01-20-08, 08:30 AM
Sarkozy has hired Amartya Sen (of the UN's Human Development Index) and Joseph Stiglitz (who exposed the shabby functioning of the World Bank and IMF in tandem with the US Treasury) to measure the soul of France.
Messrs. Stiglitz and Sen might try to create a rich-country development index. This RDI could include components for high culture (say sales of opera tickets), grand architectural projects (a Sarko special interest) and holidays in beautiful locations (the president just went to Egypt with his new girlfriend, Carla Bruni). They might also try to measure destruction to the environment and leisure -- though if they give too much value to the latter, they will undercut Mr. Sarkozy's parallel initiative of snuffing out the Gallic 35-hour week.
But the president has also noticed the paradox that there is a growing gap between ever higher GDP and people's perception of increasing difficulties in their everyday life. What explains this is probably a cocktail of family breakdowns, the loneliness of old age, alienation at work and the increasing stress incurred by those who want to succeed in globally competitive markets. Hats off to Messrs. Stiglitz and Sen if they can put a number on such spiritual matters.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992335004479313.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Messrs. Stiglitz and Sen might try to create a rich-country development index. This RDI could include components for high culture (say sales of opera tickets), grand architectural projects (a Sarko special interest) and holidays in beautiful locations (the president just went to Egypt with his new girlfriend, Carla Bruni). They might also try to measure destruction to the environment and leisure -- though if they give too much value to the latter, they will undercut Mr. Sarkozy's parallel initiative of snuffing out the Gallic 35-hour week.
But the president has also noticed the paradox that there is a growing gap between ever higher GDP and people's perception of increasing difficulties in their everyday life. What explains this is probably a cocktail of family breakdowns, the loneliness of old age, alienation at work and the increasing stress incurred by those who want to succeed in globally competitive markets. Hats off to Messrs. Stiglitz and Sen if they can put a number on such spiritual matters.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992335004479313.html?mod=googlenews_wsj