Competitiveness, Economic Development and Strategy: Going Beyond GDP as Measure of Human Well Being

Co-sponsored by Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center (APARC) and US-Asia Technology Management Center

We need alternative metrics to complement GDP in order to get a more comprehensive view of development and ensure informed policy making that doesn’t exclusively prioritize economic growth. As a step in this direction, India is also beginning to focus on the ease of living of its citizens. Ease of living is the next step in the development strategy for India, following the push towards ease of doing business that the country has achieved over the last few years. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has developed the Ease of Living Index to measuring quality of life of its citizens across Indian cities, as well as economic ability and sustainability. It is as well expected to evolve into a measurement tool to be adopted across districts. The end goal is to have a more just and equitable society that is economically thriving and offering citizens a meaningful quality of life. The talk will focus on how we can bridge the divide between economic objectives and social objectives.

Amit Kapoor, PhD  In addition to the roles listed above, Dr. Kapoor is also president of India Council on Competitiveness, and chair for the Social Progress Imperative & Shared Value Initiative in India. He is also affiliate faculty for the Microeconomics of Competitiveness & Value Based Health Care Delivery courses of Harvard Business School’s Institute of Strategy and Competitiveness, and an instructor with Harvard Business Publishing in the area of Strategy, Competitiveness and Business Models.

Amit is the author of bestsellers Riding the Tiger: How to Execute Business Strategy in India (Random Business) and The Age of Awakening: The Story of the Indian Economy Since Independence (Penguin Books), and editor-in-chief of the quarterly thought leadership magazine Thinkers.

For his full biography, visit amitkapoor.com.