Making GDP the focus of a post-coronavirus economy would be a mistake | Carys Roberts

Growth often doesn't benefit the people who need it - a green economy could create 1 million jobs

The UK lockdown might be easing, but the path ahead for the economy will be long and difficult. Unemployment this quarter is likely to rise twice as fast as it did following the global financial crisis. Almost half of businesses that have taken up one of the government's bounce-back loans do not expect to be able to pay it back.

It's tempting in a crisis to want to do whatever it takes to get economic activity - measured by GDP - back to where it was before. But an overwhelming and singular focus on increasing GDP would be a mistake. GDP figures do not tell us who is benefitting from growth. GDP does not tell us whether environmental resources - and nature - are being dangerously depleted, and does not reflect the value of caring, much of which is performed by women.