Innovative Statistics to Improve Our Notion of Reality

Official statisticians should develop relevant new variables, systems and presentations and must increase their flexibility, creativity, courage and entrepreneurshipThis article:a. analyses why current official statistics do not describe modern societies' progress as well as they did fifty years agob. identifies new information needs stemming from fundamental changes in our societiesc. uncovers an inherent tendency to conservatism in both the statistical system and its customersd. concludes that GDP growth sends misleading signals about the progress of developed economies and that mainstream economic theory and policy turn a blind eye to this probleme. recommends new statistical information needed to describe the realities of the present dayf. recommends a more innovative attitude in official statistics.