John de Graaf - What's the Economy for, Anyway?

Is our economy doing well or poorly? John de Graaf argues that to answer that question we need to first ask, “What’s the Economy for, Anyway?” Is about having the biggest GDP or the highest Dow Jones average? Or is about providing for a healthy, happy, fair and sustainable society? A comparison of US economic performance over the past 35 years shows that the US has dropped precipitously compared to other rich countries when it comes to almost every measurement of quality of life, equity and sustainability. Why has this happened and can we change course?