--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/is-the-sna-still-useful-a-review-article-on-the-measure-of-progress-counting-what-really-matters/" title: "Is the SNA Still Useful? A Review Article on The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-13T08:15:35+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-17T10:15:35+00:00" post_type: "ipm" summary: "" ipm_issue_period: - "Fall 2025" ipm_keyword: - "Comprehensive Wealth" - "Coyle" - "ESCoE" - "GDP" - "measurement" - "OECD" - "productivity puzzle" - "progress" - "review article" - "Schreyer" - "SNA" - "time use" ipm_research_theme: - "Well-being and living standards" ipm_country_focus: - "International" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IPM_50_banner.webp" status: "publish" --- # Is the SNA Still Useful? A Review Article on The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/is-the-sna-still-useful-a-review-article-on-the-measure-of-progress-counting-what-really-matters/ # Is the SNA Still Useful? A Review Article on The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters [Download full PDF article](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-49-6-Schreyer.pdf) Cite this article × Cite this article as: Schreyer, Paul. 2025. “Is the SNA Still Useful? A Review Article on The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters.” International Productivity Monitor, No. 49 (Fall 2025): 116–124. https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/is-the-sna-still-useful-a-review-article-on-the-measure-of-progress-counting-what-really-matters/ ## Author: - Paul Schreyer OECD ## IPM Issue 49 Fall 2025 pp. 116–124 ## Related IPM articles [Adult Skills and Productivity: New Evidence from PIAAC 2023 Dan Andrews, Balázs Égert, Christine de La Maisonneuve Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 41–63](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/adult-skills-and-productivity-new-evidence-from-piaac-2023/) [The Potential Impact of Pro-competitive Regulatory Reforms on Productivity and Growth in Canada Gilbert Cette, Jimmy Lopez, Giuseppe Nicoletti, Océane Vernerey Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 3–40](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/the-potential-impact-of-pro-competitive-regulatory-reforms-on-productivity-and-growth-in-canada/) [IPM Issue 49 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Fall 2025 | IPM Issue 49 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-49/) [The Challenges of Productivity Measurement — Review Article on The Measure of Economies: Measuring Productivity in an Age of Technological Change Chad Syverson Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 139–143](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/the-challenges-of-productivity-measurement-review-article-on-the-measure-of-economies-measuring-productivity-in-an-age-of-technological-change/) [New Measures of Public Service Productivity: Lessons and Results from the United Kingdom Richard Heys Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 90–114](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/new-measures-of-public-service-productivity-lessons-and-results-from-the-united-kingdom/) [The UK Productivity Slowdown: A Review of Timing, Magnitude, and Drivers Josh Martin Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–34](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/the-uk-productivity-slowdown-a-review-of-timing-magnitude-and-drivers/) [Opportunities and Risks of Artificial Intelligence for Productivity Francesco Filippucci, Peter Gal, Katharina Laengle, Matthias Schief, Filiz Unsal Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–26](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/opportunities-and-risks-of-artificial-intelligence-for-productivity/) [IPM Issue 48 Editors’ Overview Andrew Sharpe, Bart van Ark, Paul Schreyer Spring 2025 | IPM Issue 48 | pp. 1–2](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-48/) [Climate Change and Productivity — An Exploration Dirk Pilat Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 54–86](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/climate-change-and-productivity-an-exploration/) [Could Domestic Industrial Policies, Even With Global Fragmentation, Revive Productivity? Catherine Mann Fall 2024 | IPM Issue 47 | pp. 3–19](https://csls.ca/ipm-archive/ipm-issue-47/could-domestic-industrial-policies-even-with-global-fragmentation-revive-productivity/) ## Abstract ## Résumé EN FR Copy link Email LinkedIn Diane Coyle’s The Measure of Progress offers a thought-provoking critique of traditional economic metrics, particularly GDP and the System of National Accounts (SNA). These metrics, she argues, are inadequate for capturing the complexities of modern economies and fail to provide a satisfactory answer to the question, “Are things getting better, and for whom?”. This review article summarizes the key arguments, highlights the book’s main contributions, and offers reflections on how the proposals intersect with recent advances in economic measurement. The Measure of Progress de Diane Coyle offre une critique stimulante des métriques économiques traditionnelles, notamment le PIB et le Système de comptabilité nationale (SCN). Ces métriques, soutient-elle, sont inadéquates pour saisir les complexités des économies modernes et ne fournissent pas de réponse satisfaisante à la question « Les choses s’améliorent-elles, et pour qui? ». Cet article de recension résume les principaux arguments, souligne les contributions majeures de l’ouvrage et propose des réflexions sur la façon dont les propositions recoupent les avancées récentes dans la mesure économique. [Download full PDF](https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IPM-Issue-49-6-Schreyer.pdf)