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Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country's GDP measures "everything except that which makes life worthwhile."
羅伯特·肯尼迪曾說過，一個國家的國內生產總值可以衡量“除了讓生活有價值外的一切事情”。
With Britain voting to leave the European Union, and GDP already predicted to slow as a result, it is now a timely moment to assess what he was referring to.
英國投票決定脫離歐盟，預計會致使國內生產總值下滑，現在正是評價他這句話的最佳時刻。
The question of GDP and its usefulness has annoyed policymakers for over half a century.
國內生產總值的問題及其作用已經困擾決策者半個多世紀了。
Many argue that it is a flawed concept.
許多人表示，這是一個錯誤的概念。
It measures things that do not matter and misses things that do.
它衡量的是一些不重要的事情，卻忽略了重要的方面。
By most recent measures, the UK's GDP has been the envy of the Western world, with record low unemployment and high growth figures.
最近數據顯示，英國低失業率和高增長數據全都突破紀錄，其國內生產總值令西方各國羨慕。
If everything was going so well, then why did over 17 million people vote for Brexit, despite the warnings about what it could do to their country's economic prospects?
如果真的是一切都進行地很順利，那么為什么會有1700多萬人非要投票脫歐，完全不顧這一行為對國家經濟前景的威脅呢？
A recent annual study of countries and their ability to convert growth into well-being sheds some light on that question.
最近關于國家及其將經濟增長轉化為民眾幸福感的年度研究一定程度上表明了這個問題的原因。
Across the 163 countries measured, the UK is one of the poorest performers in ensuring that economic growth is translated into meaningful improvements for its citizens.
關于經濟增長是否可以真正改善人民生活方面，英國是被衡量的163個國家中表現最差的國家之一。
Rather than just focusing on GDP, over 40 different sets of criteria from health, education and civil society engagement have been measured to get a more rounded assessment of how countries are performing.
該研究并不僅僅是關注國內生產總值，為了更全面地衡量一個國家的表現，從健康，教育、民權社會參與等方面采用了40多種不同的標準進行衡量。
While all of these countries face their own challenges, there are a number of consistent themes.
盡管所有國家都面臨自身的挑戰，但有些問題一直存在。
Yes, there has been a budding economic recovery since the 2008 global crash, but in key indicators in areas such as health and education, major economies have continued to decline.
是的，08年全球金融危機爆發以后，經濟在不斷恢復，但在健康，教育等重要指標領域，主要經濟體都在持續下滑。
Yet this isn't the case with all countries.
但并不是所有國家都存在這樣的問題，
Some relatively poor European countries have seen huge improvements across measures including civil society, income equality and environment.
一些相對貧窮的歐洲國家在民權社會、收入公平和環境方面有著巨大的改善。
This is a lesson that rich countries can learn: When GDP is no longer regarded as the sole measure of a country's success, the world looks very different.
這是富裕國家可以吸取的教訓：當國內生產總值不再作為衡量國家是否成功的唯一標準，世界將變得很不一樣。
So what Kennedy was referring to was that while GDP has been the most common method for measuring the economic activity of nations, as a measure, it is no longer enough.
所以，肯尼迪所指的是，盡管國內生產總值已經成為衡量國家經濟活動最普遍的方法，但是僅僅是一種方法，還不足夠。
It does not include important factors such as environmental quality or education outcomes — all things that contribute to a person's sense of well-being.
因為，它并沒有涵蓋一些重要的因素，如環境質量或者教育成果——要知道，這些因素通常才能給一個人帶來幸福感。
The sharp hit to growth predicted around the world and in the UK could lead to a decline in the everyday services we depend on for our well-being and for growth.
全世界以及英國，都預測經濟增長會受到重大打擊，這一打擊可能導致我們維持幸福感和經濟增長所依賴的日常服務水平下降。
But policymakers who refocus efforts on improving well-being rather than simply worrying about GDP figures could avoid the forecasted doom and may even see progress.
但是如果決策者重新關注提升幸福感而不是僅僅擔心國內生產總值的數據，就能夠避免可以預見的經濟低迷，實現真正的進步。
