You're saying western countries want metrics which show that they're doing well and GDP no longer fits the bill? My intuition is that the opposite is the case;

You're saying western countries want metrics which show that they're doing well and GDP no longer fits the bill? My intuition is that the opposite is the case; people in countries which have high GDP per capita who still _feel_ that they're suffering want numbers that validate their problems as real and serious. Americans are on top from the GDP perspective, in the top 10 for GDP per capita, but it doesn't make them live longer or healthier, doesn't make them happy or less stressed, doesn't give them good schools or stability or fulfilling work or optimism about the future or confidence in institutions. I want the leading metric to show that things are _bad_ so politicians stop pretending that they're good at governing just because of the success of an economy they have little to do with.