The progress gap

By Ian McDonald

In a recent column I quoted that greatest of all West Indian intellectuals (and, by the way, the best writer on cricket who ever lived), CLR James, in a public speech he made in Trinidad about 50 years ago in which he pointed out that the good life is not to be judged by the quantity of goods accumulated. Piling up more and more material wealth does not solve the problems of either individuals or, especially, society.

Now, decades later, it can increasingly be observed that social commentators are speaking of a ‘new’ phrase which they say is entering the lexicon. It was coined by Colin le Duc, a British investment executive, who called attention to the “progress gap.” This simply recognizes what CLR in his speech pointed out fifty years ago: income growth, the sine qua non of economic success, is an unreliable indicator of how well a society is doing.