9. Economists are currently seeking to develop alternative measuring rods of economic well-being. A recently devised measuring device, the measure of economic welfare

(MEW), includes many nonmarket economic goods consumed during the period, subtracts the estimated cost of economic bads, and excludes expenditures on regrettable necessities, such as police protection and national defense. The growth rate of MEW has been considerably less rapid than that of GNP, which suggests that the increase in the American standard of living may be less rapid than the growth rate of per capita GNP.