ABSTRACT
Gross domestic product (GDP) is the universal metric for the measurement of the wealth of a nation. It is a widely accepted measure, and despite certain ideas that periodically emerges on the need to think about alternative methods for measuring economic growth. The World Economic Forum (WEF) produces its Global Competitiveness Report annually. A little story perhaps illustrates the difference between these two types of countries. This is the story of two pairs of shoes, both made in a little town in the north of Portugal. The reason why the shoes are distinguished for the purposes of this story is not because they are in any significant way different. The Portuguese shoe is sold at a certain price. The other Portuguese shoe, claiming Italian origin with a well-recognized brand originating from this country. In the Portuguese shoe story, Antnio makes shoes in a medium-sized factory outside the small-town surroundings of So Joo da Madeira.
