I think the first time that the concept of GDP was introduced to me passively, without a chance to question the rationale for the use of such a measure must have been in reading newspaper articles and in the textbooks I was issued as a student.

As discussed last week, the media often portrays/describes the economic situation of a country based on positive or negative changes to that country's GDP. I was not really given an alternative type of metric, and so my perception of the GDP as the preeminent metric for economic growth was consolidated.

• Robin Ford Coron

I really like your point that an alternative solution is often not provided and the economic development as the sole measurement of success and progress is given. Although in many countries the green parties are now getting the seats, I wonder how effective their official presence is in the political system. Have they managed to develop a form of cooperation to absorb and balance their opposite opinions.

• Kristina Pilgueva

I honestly cannot recall the first time I was introduced to the concept of GDP, probably when i was in high school studying Economics! But i was never taught to question it. Even in college when i was an Economics major, it never crossed my mind that there was something inherently wrong with this metric even when i had studied about scarcity, externalities etc. For me, the type of education i received was definitely one that Freire describes as banking. Being an educator today, I now see that my own teachers were banked too, and they themselves never questioned the theories/knowledge they taught, nor created a space for me to do that.

I think the first time I started to develop more critical thinking and criticality was when I went to Regent College (on UBC grounds) for my graduate studies. While I was pursuing my Masters in Divinity, it was there that I met many different people from all walks of life and read, debated and pondered over many things I had taken for granted. It was a time of deconstruction to say the least and a disorienting/painful experience, but looking back, I know that it is difficult to build anew without first tearing down to create the space to rebuild.

I think of our current world system and feel there might be a parallel - so many solutions are based on the same old beliefs and assumptions, and seems to be more of a band-aid than true transformation. I do agree heartily with Einstein's quote that we can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.

I think this is why I enjoy teaching the IBDP and in particular the IBDP Economics as its stated goal is that students are able to question and think critically about what they are learning. I am glad to be an educator that doesn't need to bank my students but to create a space for them to explore and question, some of them i believe, will go on to be part of creating new ways of understanding and applying Economics to help make our world better and more peaceful (IB mission).

• Cat Ho

This is a significant benefit of IB as a holistic curriculum project , in my opinion, to develop students' critical thinking by questioning fundamental concepts. I would like to add that evaluation and synthesis (creating) - the top of Bloom's taxonomy are the necessary components for the top marks in any exam. Without critical analysis of the given facts and data the society can not find the innovative and more efficient solutions to the core challenges of the modern world.

• Kristina Pilgueva

GDP has been a flawless concept, advocated by the leading economists and politicians. It has been used by those with power and authority as the goal to achieve and criteria of success. It has created an endless competition between the countries on the level of consumption and therefore the level of production without considering any negative effects on the society in the long-term. The surprising fact is that the simplified function developed within and for a certain historic context has not been reconsidered over the decades. What worked well for a particular economy has been used as a foundation for all the countries regardless the differences in the state of their economic development and abundance of their economic resources. GDP has been criticized for its simplicity used to express complex economic processes, but it has never been doubted the significance of the economic growth as the main objective to achieve. The prognosis designed by the leading analytical agencies based on the promised GDP growth as one of the main criteria influences the exchange rates and the big investors decisions solidified the vicious circle of the unbreakable belief in the GDP.

• Kristina Pilgueva

Learning about how the GDP was derived as a means to measure growth and the fact that it does not take externalities into account has made me realise how humanity is negatively affected. There are externalities such as environmental pollution due to the supplier/polluter making decisions based only on the direct cost and profit from their product without considering the costs to those harmed.
I did not know that just because the GDP looks good in any particular country does not mean that it actually is. The fact that ANYexpenditure is considered as good, helping the GDP to rise, speaks to how we are indoctrinated to buy. It seems we spend mindlessly without considering that we, as humanity, have all contributed to the environmental pollution no matter how near or far away it may seem. This speaks to our education being banked as we are considered as empty vessels to be filled with knowledge so that we do not question the systems put into place by those in governance. We do as we are “told” in our responses to that education and are rewarded with products that we buy that do more long term harm, environmentally as well as financially. The inequity that we see created by this system in terms of unequal distribution of income and opportunity between different groups of society and in other countries leaves most poor and trapped in poverty with little to no chance of getting out.
We can see how even positive outcomes such as caring for family is not counted as contributing positively to the GDP. Can we break free of this system through “unbanking”education and whose job is it. We all as stakeholders need to band together to bring about change but this also seems insurmountable when there are companies, governance and the rich benefitting from this system.

• Nina Wakefield

@Nina Wakefield,
Nina, you summarize and synthesize our CEL journey so well!!
You put the reality of our world today so succinctly - we do not question the systems put into place by those in governance. We do as we are “told” in our responses to that education and are rewarded with products that we buy that do more long term harm, environmentally as well as financially.

Yes, it does seem a little bleak when there is such conflict of interest and also a lack of awareness by the majority...hopefully as we explore also the counter models and movements, it will give us all hope that we can be part of the change that we want to see.

It

• Cat Ho

Reflecting on GDP, I find myself oscillating between awe and disappointment, appreciation and skepticism. At first glance, the simplicity of the GDP formula shocks me. It is essentially just the total value of goods and services produced within a country's borders over a given period. Such a straightforward equation seems almost inadequate to capture the complexities of a nation's economic health and societal well-being. As I delve deeper, I cannot help but appreciate the historical significance and utility of GDP. Over centuries, it has served as a cornerstone in economics, providing a common metric for comparing the economic performance of different countries and tracking changes over time. Its simplicity has been a virtue, enabling policymakers and economists to make relatively quick assessments and decisions based on readily available data, which is what we called Science! Although the Chapter 1 Page 10 in the book “Things they don’t tell you about Capitalism” is quite right in pointing out that economics is not a science like physics or chemistry!
My appreciation is tempered by an awareness of the limitations inherent in GDP. It fails to account for various factors that contribute to societal welfare, such as income inequality, environmental degradation, and the value of unpaid work like caregiving and volunteering. This realization reminds me of the limitations of various laws, theories, and models used in teaching chemistry. Just as GDP offers a simplified view of a nation's economy, chemical laws and models offer simplified explanations of complex phenomena. While they are valuable for understanding fundamental principles and making predictions within certain constraints, they can also lead to misconceptions and oversights if applied too rigidly or uncritically. Just as economists supplement GDP with other metrics like the Human Development Index or Gross National Happiness, I should see to encourage my students to critically evaluate and contextualize the laws and models they learn, recognizing their strengths and limitations.

• Tammy Cheng

@Tammy Cheng,
Tammy, your words ring so true - chemical laws and models offer simplified explanations of complex phenomena. While they are valuable for understanding fundamental principles and making predictions within certain constraints, they can also lead to misconceptions and oversights if applied too rigidly or uncritically. Indeed, all knowledge is contextual, limited and limiting - when knowledge is applied as truth applicable for all times and all situations, it can lead to some very tragic consequences.

I often think how Economics is supposed to be descriptive, but most people view it and use it as prescriptive, to some rather disastrous outcomes as we now experience.

I look forward to learning from you how you teach students to think critically about models in Chemistry, and how CEL could also be of some help for that purpose!

• Cat Ho

I appreciate the comments made above. The simplicity of the system is such that one does not think there could be anything wrong with it but as we look closer we can see the strands unravel and with it, our society. Our local and global societies are mislead and we need to educate and bring awareness of the situation starting with our youth. One wonders how we can possibly do this with different powers that be in each country. The GDP formula is clearly flawed so we need to find a way to break through this system and bring about real change.

• Nina Wakefield