--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: clustered behind national barriers, what…" description: "\"“clustered behind national barriers, what was good for General Motors was good for America. The annual gross domestic product figure meant as much to G..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/edward-luce-10080_bottom-line_clustered-behind-national-barriers-what_1885799.jpg" --- # clustered behind national barriers, what was good for… ![“clustered behind national barriers, what was good for General Motors was good for America. The annual gross domestic product figure meant as much to GM’s American customers as it did to the company. If the US economy grew by 5 per cent, there was a high chance the auto-maker’s bottom line had…” quote by Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/edward-luce-10080_bottom-line_clustered-behind-national-barriers-what_1885799.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/edward-luce-10080_bottom-line_clustered-behind-national-barriers-what_1885799.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92a/edward-luce-10080_bottom-line_clustered-behind-national-barriers-what_1885799.jpg) > ““clustered behind national barriers, what was good for General Motors was good for America. The annual gross domestic product figure meant as much to GM’s American customers as it did to the company. If the US economy grew by 5 per cent, there was a high chance the auto-maker’s bottom line had expanded by a similar amount. America’s median income growth rose in line with GDP. Much the same could have been said of Britain’s ICI, or Rolls-Royce. That is an outmoded way of measuring growth in today’s world. Since 2009, the US economy has expanded by roughly 2 per cent a year. Yet it took until 2015 for the median income to regain the level it enjoyed before the Great Recession. Perhaps ‘enjoyed’ is the wrong word. The median income in 2007 was below what it was in 2002, at the start of the business cycle that lasted for most of George W. Bush’s presidency. What is good for Apple may not be good for America. It shuttered its last US production facility in 2004. The Bush expansion was the first on record where middle-class incomes were lower at the end of it than at the start. Today, the US median income is still below where it was at the beginning of this century. Clearly what the typical American understands by growth differs greatly from that of macroeconomists. GDP numbers insist we are doing well, at a time when half the country is suffering from personal recessions. The”” [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He argues that GDP is an outdated measure of prosperity, as median incomes have stagnated despite overall economic growth. **In simple terms:** GDP growth doesn’t reflect everyday people’s financial reality. Key Takeaway Look beyond GDP to assess true economic health. Themes economics growth inequality policy statistics Mood critical concerned Type analytical policy-oriented When to use this quote - policy making - economic analysis - public discourse - social welfare - financial planning Key Concepts macroeconomic measurement income distribution standard of living Questions to Reflect On - What alternative metrics better capture citizens’ wellbeing? - How can policy address the gap between GDP and median income? A Different Perspective GDP can mask widening inequality and personal financial strain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bottom line](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/) [Economy Grew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/economy-grew-396176/) [Gdp Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gdp-said-2693771/) [General motors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/general-motors/) [George w](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/george-w/) [Good America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-america-375448/) [Growth Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth-today-1827207/) [Income Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/income-growth-1616836/) ## Related quotes > [What's good for America better damn well be good for General Motors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-s-good-for-america-better-damn-well-be-good-for-general-motors/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What is good for General Motors is not good for America if General Motors is moving production out of the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-buchanan/what-is-good-for-general-motors-is-not-good-for-america-if-general/) [Pat Buchanan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-buchanan/) > [Growth today is an investment for tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/growth-today-is-an-investment-for-tomorrow/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [If we want growth today to be more innovation-driven, more inclusive and more sustainable, then we need a more active state, not a less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-mazzucato/if-we-want-growth-today-to-be-more-innovation-driven-more-inclusive/) [Mariana Mazzucato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-mazzucato/) > [Why is it so hard to see that when America had high savings, low taxes and minimal government, the economy grew like a week,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cook/why-is-it-so-hard-to-see-that-when-america-had-high-savings-low-taxes/) [James Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cook/) > [The Indian economy grew at 5.5 percent, but if you look at the last 30 years - for example, 1960 to 1985 - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manmohan-singh/the-indian-economy-grew-at-5-5-percent-but-if-you-look-at-the-last-30/) [Manmohan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manmohan-singh/) > [From 1947 to 2001, the American economy grew annually at a rate of 3.5 percent. After China got into the World Trade Organization, got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-navarro/from-1947-to-2001-the-american-economy-grew-annually-at-a-rate-of-3-5/) [Peter Navarro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-navarro/) > [“seemed to be turning Egypt from a poor and lethargic economy into an exemplary developmental case study. The country's economy grew at an average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-osman/seemed-to-be-turning-egypt-from-a-poor-and-lethargic-economy-into-an/) [Tarek Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-osman/) > [“Responding to a specific question about the impact on German savers, Mario Draghi, ECB president, said the rates were “for banks not people”, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/responding-to-a-specific-question-about-the-impact-on-german-savers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Growth and Income, Growth, Aggressive Growth, and International. There are plenty of other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/growth-and-income-growth-aggressive-growth-and-international-there/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [In the long run, greater investment would mean greater productivity and income growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-frank/in-the-long-run-greater-investment-would-mean-greater-productivity/) [Bob Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-frank/) > [For the three decades after WWII, incomes grew at about 3 percent a year for people up and down the income ladder, but since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-frank/for-the-three-decades-after-wwii-incomes-grew-at-about-3-percent-a/) [Robert H. Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-frank/) > [“if we consider the total growth of the US economy in the thirty years prior to the crisis, that is, from 1977 to 2007,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-piketty/if-we-consider-the-total-growth-of-the-us-economy-in-the-thirty-years/) [Thomas Piketty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-piketty/) > [With President Trump, we see income growth in states like Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Nevada, Florida - wing states that went to Trump in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/with-president-trump-we-see-income-growth-in-states-like-iowa-ohio/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [Under Obama, income growth has been confined almost entirely to those at the top of the income distribution, continuing a pattern that began under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/under-obama-income-growth-has-been-confined-almost-entirely-to-those/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) ## More by Edward Luce > [“Davos has become the emblem of a global elite that has lost its ability to listen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/davos-has-become-the-emblem-of-a-global-elite-that-has-lost-its/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“By any numerical measure, humanity is becoming rapidly less poor. But between half and two-thirds of people in the West have been treading water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/by-any-numerical-measure-humanity-is-becoming-rapidly-less-poor-but/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“Cowen detects conformism even in the liveliest Silicon Valley companies. Most of its denizens wear some variation on the casual hipster uniform and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/cowen-detects-conformism-even-in-the-liveliest-silicon-valley/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“It would also require a conscious effort to look at the world from unfamiliar standpoints and admit that the West has no monopoly on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/it-would-also-require-a-conscious-effort-to-look-at-the-world-from/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“Almost half of Americans would be unable to pay a $400 medical emergency bill without going into debt.67”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/almost-half-of-americans-would-be-unable-to-pay-a-400-medical/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“In the US, the more liberal a city’s politics, the higher the rate of inequality.45”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/in-the-us-the-more-liberal-a-city-s-politics-the-higher-the-rate-of/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“With chisels and pickaxes we made our tiny contributions to this orgy of historic vandalism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/with-chisels-and-pickaxes-we-made-our-tiny-contributions-to-this-orgy/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“History tells us that inequality soars when societies develop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/history-tells-us-that-inequality-soars-when-societies-develop/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“the Toil Index – the number of working hours it takes a median worker to pay the median rent in one of America’s big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/the-toil-index-the-number-of-working-hours-it-takes-a-median-worker/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“Today’s equivalent is probably ‘get an engineering degree’, but it will not necessarily be as lucrative. A third of Americans who graduated in STEM…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/today-s-equivalent-is-probably-get-an-engineering-degree-but-it-will/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“Shortly afterwards Addis Ababa launched a crackdown on its opponents that resulted in hundreds of deaths. If America’s president was in two minds about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/shortly-afterwards-addis-ababa-launched-a-crackdown-on-its-opponents/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“Émile Durkheim, the father of modern sociology, said that when societies hit a civilisational break the suicide rate soars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/mile-durkheim-the-father-of-modern-sociology-said-that-when-societies/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“In 1970 only about one in seven American families lived in neighbourhoods that were unambiguously ‘affluent’ or ‘poor’.40 By 2007 that number had risen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/in-1970-only-about-one-in-seven-american-families-lived-in/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“M + D = C, Monopoly plus Discretion equals Corruption”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/m-d-c-monopoly-plus-discretion-equals-corruption/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) > [“No bourgeoisie, no democracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-luce/no-bourgeoisie-no-democracy/) [Edward Luce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) [Explore all 68 Edward Luce quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-luce/) ## More Bottom line quotes > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [Cheer up. You're not going to be single forever. Bottom line is, you're young. Don't base your future on your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cheer-up-you-re-not-going-to-be-single-forever-bottom-line-is-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/) [Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/) > [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) > [I'm very grateful to be where I'm at and be able to play. That's really the bottom line for me. Survival and being able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/i-m-very-grateful-to-be-where-i-m-at-and-be-able-to-play-that-s/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Bottom line is, work ethic equals dreams, and I am walking proof that that's a fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diamond-dallas-page/bottom-line-is-work-ethic-equals-dreams-and-i-am-walking-proof-that/) [Diamond Dallas Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diamond-dallas-page/) > [One of two things when the guy you're dating isn't really ready to commit. He's an a\*\*hole and he's cheating on you; bottom line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-catherwood/one-of-two-things-when-the-guy-you-re-dating-isn-t-really-ready-to/) [Michael Catherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-catherwood/) > [The bottom line on attitude is that a good one helps to increase your possibilities. Pessimists usually get what they expect. So do optimists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-bottom-line-on-attitude-is-that-a-good-one-helps-to-increase-your/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [If you look at the statistics, I genuinely understand why when we go to a production company or a broadcaster, and they say our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joivan-wade/if-you-look-at-the-statistics-i-genuinely-understand-why-when-we-go/) [Joivan Wade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joivan-wade/) > [With a reality show, the bottom line is, there's no plot; there's no finale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-gosselin/with-a-reality-show-the-bottom-line-is-there-s-no-plot-there-s-no/) [Kate Gosselin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-gosselin/) > [Two to 4% of cancers respond to chemotherapy…The bottom line is for a few kinds of cancer chemo is a life extending procedure-Hodgkin's disease,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-w-moss/two-to-4-of-cancers-respond-to-chemotherapy-the-bottom-line-is-for-a/) [Ralph W. Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-w-moss/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 942 Bottom line quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom-line/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“clustered behind national barriers, what was good for General Motors was good for America. The annual gross domestic product figure meant as much to GM’s American customers as it did to the company. If the US economy grew by 5 per cent, there was a high chance the auto-maker’s bottom line had expanded by a similar amount. America’s median income growth rose in line with GDP. Much the same could have been said of Britain’s ICI, or Rolls-Royce. That is an outmoded way of measuring growth in today’s world. Since 2009, the US economy has expanded by roughly 2 per cent a year. Yet it took until 2015 for the median income to regain the level it enjoyed before the Great Recession. Perhaps ‘enjoyed’ is the wrong word. The median income in 2007 was below what it was in 2002, at the start of the business cycle that lasted for most of George W. Bush’s presidency. What is good for Apple may not be good for America. It shuttered its last US production facility in 2004. The Bush expansion was the first on record where middle-class incomes were lower at the end of it than at the start. Today, the US median income is still below where it was at the beginning of this century. Clearly what the typical American understands by growth differs greatly from that of macroeconomists. GDP numbers insist we are doing well, at a time when half the country is suffering from personal recessions. 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