ESRI International Conference 2025 "Measuring Progress in Economy and Society: Economic Growth and Well-being"

Overview

Overview of the international conference held on July 31, 2025, by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) of the Cabinet Office, in cooperation with the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and external experts. This conference, which has been held continuously since 2001, discusses the theme "Measuring Economic and Social Progress: Economic Growth and Well-being." The conference is conducted in a hybrid format (in-person and online) from 9:45 to 18:00. The program begins with opening remarks, followed by a keynote speech by Aaron Hedlund, Chief Economist of the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers. Three sessions follow: Session 1 on "Well-being: Measurement and Its Use in Policy" features a presentation by Hironobu Ueda (Economic and Social Research Institute, Cabinet Office) with discussion by Betsey Stevenson (Professor, University of Michigan). Session 2 on "Evolution of SNA (System of National Accounts)" includes a presentation by David Cutler (Professor, Harvard University) with discussion by Masako Ii (Professor, Hitotsubashi University). Session 3 on "Non-monetary Aspects of Economic Growth" features a presentation by Achyuta Adhvaryu (Professor, UC San Diego) with discussion by Mari Tanaka (Associate Professor, University of Tokyo/Hitotsubashi University). The conference concludes with a panel discussion on "Measuring Economic and Social Progress: Economic Growth and Well-being" with panelists Charles Horioka (Research Professor, Kobe University), Norihito Sakamoto (Professor, Tokyo University of Science), Matthew Shapiro (Professor, University of Michigan), and Justin Wolfers (Professor, University of Michigan). Japanese simultaneous interpretation is provided, and a summary of proceedings will be published on the website after the conference.