Forum 1 Issue: Dead Rats Can Raise GDP, Economists Have Lowered It (Part 1) What increases GDP? There is a humorouseconomic fableinstructive about money-metric measures of economic progress. Two economic professors find a dead rat while on a long stroll. In disgust, the older don dares his younger colleague: "if you eat it, I'll pay you $10,000". The younger economist makes a quick cost-benefit analysis in his head, then accepts the challenge, to his colleague's surprise. Sometime later, realizing the enormity of his financial loss, the older man offers to reciprocate to get his money back. Feeling ashamed of being the only one to eat a dead rat, his younger colleague quickly agrees. A few days later, feeling quite foolish about what happened, the younger don laments: "Looks like we both ate dead rats for nothing". The more senior professor reassures him, "Yes, but remember we increased GDP by $20,000". Did the gross domestic product (GDP) really increase? From a national income accounting perspective, the two 'meals', requested and paid for by the other, constitute paid services unlike, say, much care work by family members which goes unremunerated. Indeed, there are many other controversies over measuring GDP. ~ksjomo~ QUESTION : What Inrease GDP? What i need to include in 10 slide