The Pricing of Progress: Economic Indicators and the Capitalization of American Life

Abstract

A history of statistical economic indicators in America, this dissertation uncovers the protracted struggle which took place in the nineteenth century over how economic life should be quantified, how social progress should be valued and how American prosperity should be measured. By revealing the historical origins of contemporary indicators such as Gross Domestic Product, and by uncovering the alternative measures that ended up on the losing side of history, this work denaturalizes the seemingly objective nature of modern economic indicators while offering a fresh take on the rise of American capitalism.