Headline:
IASS-Release: "The Power of a Number: A Political History of Gross Domestic Product"
Gross domestic product (GDP) has become the most powerful figure in human history and together with growth a fixed component of our political culture. In his recent book "The Power of a Number: A Political History of Gross Domestic Product" published by Suhrkamp Verlag, IASS economist Dr Philipp Lepenies asks the question "how": "How could a statistical construct which was completely unknown before the Second World War become so prominent? How could it establish and evolve this power in its current form?"
Dr Philipp Lepenies is team leader of the research project „Cultures of Economics – Cultures of Sustainability“ at the IASS Potsdam. The focus of his research is on the inception and development of economic and political concepts.
More information on the author
More information on the book and an extract can be found here (German only)