Churchill College Fellow and renowned economist Prof. Dame Diane Coyle will join the College Master Prof. Sharon Peacock for the Master’s Book Club series, discussing Diane’s latest work on rethinking how we measure economic progress in the modern age.
As Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge and a member of the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Advisory Council, Diane Coyle brings both academic rigour and real-world policy experience to questions of economic measurement. She also advises the Competition and Markets Authority, positioning her uniquely to understand how statistical frameworks shape decision-making at the highest levels. Her latest book, The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters, challenges the dominance of GDP as our primary economic indicator.
Throughout her career Diane has focused on the intersection of economics, policy and technology, bringing a critical eye to how we understand economic progress. She is the author of Cogs and Monsters: What Economics Is and What It Should Be, GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History (both Princeton) and many other books. Her latest book questions whether our 1940s-era measurement framework can adequately capture today’s digital economy, where intangible assets, artificial intelligence and data increasingly define economic activity.
In The Measure of Progress, Diane explores why in many countries people feel discontented with the state of things, even though economic growth as measured by GDP is continuing. As she explains, “I’m interested in what kind of metrics would better reflect how people’s lives are going.” She argues that economic statistics are “the lens through which politicians and officials, and all the rest of us, see the economy,” making the choice of metrics foundational to understanding and action.
Diane hopes attendees will take away some ideas about constructive ways for communities or countries to set a course for meaningful improvements in people’s lives. The discussion promises to explore how alternative frameworks might better capture what truly matters in the 21st century economy.
The event takes place on Thursday, 12 March, from 6-7pm in Wolfson Hall, Churchill College, followed by a drinks reception where guests can continue the conversation with the author. While the event is free and open to all, advance booking is essential.
To secure your place, please reserve via the online booking form: Book your ticket – The Master’s Book Club – Churchill College, University of Cambridge. Early registration is recommended.
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