MacroScope

Poor people have shorter life spans and more health problems than the wealthy. Surprising? For growth-obsessed economists, yes actually. A new study from The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development represents a worthy attempt to move economics away from its traditional tendency to equate growth with well being. Its rankings suggest factors other than the rate of gross domestic product expansion are important in determining quality of life.

But as often happen when economists look for a human angle in their research, they end up stating the glaringly obvious. Take this statement:

Some groups of the population, particularly less educated and low-income people, tend to fare systematically worse in all dimensions of well-being considered in this report. For instance they live shorter lives and report greater health problems; their children obtain worse school results; they participate less in political activities; they can rely on lower social networks in case of needs; they are more exposed to crime and pollution; they tend to be less satisfied with their life as a whole than more educated and higher-income people.

You don’t say? And what about this gem:

Having a job is an essential element of well-being. Good jobs provide earnings, but also shape personal identity and opportunities for social relationships.

OECD economists must be elated then: updating the dense “How’s Life” report each year should keep them employed for the foreseeable future.