The complexities of sustainable growth in Europe is a continuous discussion with many arising questions. The biggest one being how can we redefine progress apart from traditional economic tools and metrics like GDP?
This question took priority at the recent 22nd European Week of Regions and Cities . The Social Progress Imperative participated in the workshop ““Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Index as a tool to drive a just transition in EU cities and regions,” which explored tools available to both local and regional policymakers that would expand past the conventional GDP method. Through examining the Social Progress Index, globally and within EU regions, the speakers provided insight into a future where inclusivity and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
John Lisney, Europe Insights & Partnerships Lead at Social Progress Imperative, shared some highlights of the workshop:
“Last week, together with Representation of the Bratislava Region to the EU and ICLEI Europe, we hosted a workshop at the 22nd European Week of Regions and Cities on the topic of “Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Index as a tool to drive a just transition in EU cities and regions”.
The objective of the session was to explore tools available to local and regional policymakers to implement a 'beyond GDP' approach. Presentations by Petra Krylova, Global Research Director at Social Progress Imperative and Jorge Durán Laguna, Head of Economic Analysis and Regional Statistics, European Commission, focused on the global Social Progress Index and the EU Regional SPI respectively, and what insight they can provide to policy decisions regarding the state of social progress in the EU.
There was a really interesting discussion on how such alternative measures of progress could be better integrated into EU policy-making, particularly within cohesion policy, to ensure a strong social dimension in the green transition. There was a bit of a disagreement between the speakers on how strong of a role such metrics can have in key decisions, especially the allocation of cohesion funds, alongside traditional economic metrics such as GDP. And if such a paradigm shift would ever be approved by national governments.
Juraj Droba, President of the Bratislava Region, made the strongest claim for the Social Progress Index to have a more prominent role, saying:
"The Bratislava region has championed the beyond GDP discussion amongst EU regions and has applied the Social Progress Index in its own regional policy strategy. I believe that it should be used across levels of policymaking from the local to the European, especially for the purposes of cohesion policy and in the implementation of the green transition. We now have an ideal opportunity to influence discussions and reshape the way we measure our progress and allocate European money accordingly, to ensure that our policies reflect the true needs of our people, our regions, cities and also smaller municipalities.”
I believe we’ll be having more and more of these discussions over the coming years in EU politics and as the new Commission sets in, and in the follow up of last year’s Beyond Growth conference in the European Parliament. If we are to move to an economic model that looks beyond GDP to measure societal progress, the role of regions and cities, as the levels closest to people’s real lived experience, should be at the centre of the debate.
I also just wanted to thank everyone involved in organising this session, especially Tereza Blanová from Representation of the Bratislava Region to the EU, who did a lot of the prep work behind the scenes, and Jannis Niethammer, expert in Justice, Equity and Democracy at ICLEI Europe, who did a brilliant job of moderating the discussions. I look forward to continuing working together on these issues!”
In order to invigorate a fair and inclusive Europe, the conversation around “Beyond GDP” measures is crucial. The inclusion of these discussions in mainstream policy is essential for a future where the needs of communities are met. We encourage stakeholders, both policymakers and citizens, to immerse themselves in this continuous dialogue.
Let’s collaborate and work together to go beyond the GDP approach and utilize the Social Progress Index to transform European regions using an inclusive and fair model.
The complexities of sustainable growth in Europe is a continuous discussion with many arising questions. The biggest one being how can we redefine progress apart from traditional economic tools and metrics like GDP?
This question took priority at the recent 22nd European Week of Regions and Cities . The Social Progress Imperative participated in the workshop ““Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Index as a tool to drive a just transition in EU cities and regions,” which explored tools available to both local and regional policymakers that would expand past the conventional GDP method. Through examining the Social Progress Index, globally and within EU regions, the speakers provided insight into a future where inclusivity and sustainability are not mutually exclusive.
John Lisney, Europe Insights & Partnerships Lead at Social Progress Imperative, shared some highlights of the workshop:
“Last week, together with Representation of the Bratislava Region to the EU and ICLEI Europe, we hosted a workshop at the 22nd European Week of Regions and Cities on the topic of “Beyond GDP: The Social Progress Index as a tool to drive a just transition in EU cities and regions”.
The objective of the session was to explore tools available to local and regional policymakers to implement a 'beyond GDP' approach. Presentations by Petra Krylova, Global Research Director at Social Progress Imperative and Jorge Durán Laguna, Head of Economic Analysis and Regional Statistics, European Commission, focused on the global Social Progress Index and the EU Regional SPI respectively, and what insight they can provide to policy decisions regarding the state of social progress in the EU.
There was a really interesting discussion on how such alternative measures of progress could be better integrated into EU policy-making, particularly within cohesion policy, to ensure a strong social dimension in the green transition. There was a bit of a disagreement between the speakers on how strong of a role such metrics can have in key decisions, especially the allocation of cohesion funds, alongside traditional economic metrics such as GDP. And if such a paradigm shift would ever be approved by national governments.
Juraj Droba, President of the Bratislava Region, made the strongest claim for the Social Progress Index to have a more prominent role, saying:
"The Bratislava region has championed the beyond GDP discussion amongst EU regions and has applied the Social Progress Index in its own regional policy strategy. I believe that it should be used across levels of policymaking from the local to the European, especially for the purposes of cohesion policy and in the implementation of the green transition. We now have an ideal opportunity to influence discussions and reshape the way we measure our progress and allocate European money accordingly, to ensure that our policies reflect the true needs of our people, our regions, cities and also smaller municipalities.”
I believe we’ll be having more and more of these discussions over the coming years in EU politics and as the new Commission sets in, and in the follow up of last year’s Beyond Growth conference in the European Parliament. If we are to move to an economic model that looks beyond GDP to measure societal progress, the role of regions and cities, as the levels closest to people’s real lived experience, should be at the centre of the debate.
I also just wanted to thank everyone involved in organising this session, especially Tereza Blanová from Representation of the Bratislava Region to the EU, who did a lot of the prep work behind the scenes, and Jannis Niethammer, expert in Justice, Equity and Democracy at ICLEI Europe, who did a brilliant job of moderating the discussions. I look forward to continuing working together on these issues!”
In order to invigorate a fair and inclusive Europe, the conversation around “Beyond GDP” measures is crucial. The inclusion of these discussions in mainstream policy is essential for a future where the needs of communities are met. We encourage stakeholders, both policymakers and citizens, to immerse themselves in this continuous dialogue.
Let’s collaborate and work together to go beyond the GDP approach and utilize the Social Progress Index to transform European regions using an inclusive and fair model.
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