Aliging Profit with Purpose - Global Goals Yearbook 2019

DISTRIBUTION OF PROSPERITY
“
Any sustainable prosperity agenda would
go well beyond CSR or the greening of
supply chains, and make it the ‘new
normal’ to act on the pressing challenges
of the day. This includes such things as
food security, fuel poverty, and climate
change. The SDGs can act as the growth
strategy and innovation space for the
businesses of today and tomorrow.
Henrietta L. Moore,
Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity
the Bertelsmann Stiftung, this includes
market openings in emerging countries
as well as the reduction of subsidies in
industrialized countries.
In the industrialized countries, Bertelsmann
Stiftung experts also see the need
to ensure that the obvious and tangible
benefits of globalization are distributed
in such a way that all citizens participate.
“We can see from the data that
globalization is bringing us significant
welfare gains,” says Jungbluth. This is
why awareness must be strengthened
in the industrialized countries that integration
with the global economy – as
long as it is based on internationally
recognized rules and standards – brings
material benefits.
Going beyond GDP
ABSOLUTE INCOME GAINS PER INHABITANT (%)
BETWEEN 1960 AND 2016 (IN EUROS)
Rank Country Average p.a. Accumulated Profit
1 Switzerland 1913 49,730
2 Japan 1502 39,046
3 Finland 1410 36,664
4 Ireland 1261 32,794
5 Israel 1157 30,080
6 Germany 1151 29,922
7 Denmark 1150 29,904
8 Netherlands 1080 28,072
9 Slovenia 953 24,768
10 South Korea 908 23,598
11 Austria 904 23,491
12 ... Greece 894 23,254
38 Mexico 122 3175
39 Russia 116 3004
40 Argentina 110 2862
41 China 79 2049
42 India 22 567
Source: Bertelsmann Stiftung
“What we measure affects what we do. If
you measure the wrong thing, you will
do the wrong thing. If you don’t measure
something, it becomes neglected,
as if the problem did not exist,” says
Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz in
a recent OECD presentation. For years,
economists have been searching for a
new definition of well-being beyond
GDP. Henrietta L. Moore, Director of the
Institute for Global Prosperity, brings the
fragile interdependency between profit
and purpose to the point: “A prosperous
society is not necessarily a society that is
wealthy – although a strong economy
is an essential part of it. Instead, it is
a society that is inclusive, sustainable,
and capable of offering its residents
the ability to have a fulfilling life. This
has sparked an interest in new types of
conversations about the most efficient
ways in which economic resources can
translate into well-being for both people
and the environment.” She adds: “This is
not just a matter of ceasing to externalize
the costs of pollution and deterioration,
but recognizing that the planet’s assets
are common assets and must be protected,
maintained and regenerated.”
Global Goals Yearbook 2019
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