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Thanks.

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I am disappointed by the lack of replies. Perhaps this is too intellectually challenging for the masses here?

I would say that one important thing the author leaves out, on the plus side, is the value of advances in technology. This, too, is outside of the market-price calculations. For example, a couple of years back I had arthoscopic knee surgery. The cost was about $4000, so that amount was added to the GNP. However, the value to me and society was much greater--I would have gladly paid $50,000 to be able to walk around normally again. Fifty years ago, you could not have bought this service at any price. So I would say that the GPI needs to add in the value of such things, and that therefore the decline in GPI over the past fifty years may not be as great as the author posits.