Before the financial crisis, GDP growth was criticised for not making us happy, scarring the planet and making the rich even richer. Despite the prolonged economic misery and political humiliation suffered by countries like Greece and Italy in the aftermath of the Eurozone crisis, doubts about the desirability of GDP growth remain. Will weak economic growth lead policymakers to ramp up investment and go for real wealth creation or does a culture of pessimism simply mean more short-term financial tricks like quantitative easing and consumer credit expansion? Filmed at the Battle of Ideas the question is on the table: do we have to accept stunted growth as the ‘new normal’?
