Allversity visited the British Embassy last Friday. It was the first time we had been to this magnificent "emblem of pre-austerity Britain"[Matthew Taylor, RSA]. The reason: a debate hosted by Berlin Debates on the importance of GDP as a metric for economic and social success in a country. The outcome of the which is not important for the purposes of this blog post; needless to say, however, GDP was found wanting.
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| British Embassy in Berlin |
One very interesting topic came out of the floor debate. Namely, the question of how we want to measure a society's success. Should it be, for instance, based on one metric of the economy? Or perhaps we should look to happiness of the country? Or even how equal the society is? In effect, the debate threw up the question of how we judge ourselves and our societies.
As an online learning platform, Allversity staff are constantly asking ourselves these questions. What are the metrics of a good society? And how can we make courses that help these metrics improve?
Social metrics
Many would consider the the state of public health in a country as a good metric. Others would point to the sustainable use of resources. Others would say that upholding human rights is a good metric of a society's success. Bhutan, for instance, has been measuring the Gross National Happiness (GNH) of its country since 1972, when its fourth Dragon King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, made an official announcement. The metric fits with strict Buddhist notions prominent in Bhutan.
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| The Tigers Nest Monastery in Bhutan |
Since then, many metrics have been designed to measure more holistic measures of society. Amartyr Sen's famous Human Development Index is now widespread in the UN's official statistics.
Ultimately, I believe the real sign of a good society is one that has strong, cohesive and collaborative communities that provide for the needs of their citizens. Thus, health, sustainable use of resources and human rights are all measures that we can use to judge whether a society is doing right by its citizens.
How does Allversity help these metrics?
Allversity's recent stratospheric increase in courses on the website (seven entirely new courses!!) focus on building community cohesion through improving health, enacting human rights and sustainability in agriculture.
The seven new courses include an introduction to permaculture, irrigation techniques, an introduction to human rights, understanding soil, preventing HIV and a family planning course. The courses are aimed at young community leaders and changemakers who want to improve the way things are done in their own communities.
This huge relaunch comes at an important time of soul searching for our dear Allversity. Our usership is increasing, our reach is growing and we are fast becoming an organisation looked to to be responsible for the kinds of information we are disseminating to our growing student base. The orientation towards community support courses is one that has always been at the heart of the Allversity project, but one that perhaps is only just visible on the website.
Take a look. Have a judge. And let us know your own metrics for a good society. Who knows, we may have something in common!
Post by Ysanne Choksey
Post by Ysanne Choksey
