Vermont lawmakers are being told that the state isn't as well off as some might think. In fact, a University of Vermont study finds there's a 42.8 percent gap between a key measure of Vermont's economic activity and a broader measure of the well-being of the state.
Leaders of UVM's Gund Institute for Ecological Economics tell lawmakers that the traditional gross state product economic indicator fails to account for numerous factors, including environmental degradation, income inequality and other problems tied to the economy.
They're promoting a newer measure called the genuine progress indicator, which includes both economic activity and its consequences.
Lawmakers got preliminary results on Tuesday of a study they requested last year, and say those results could influence policy debates.
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