This new measure of national wealth could change the focus on economic wealth as a measure of development. Interestingly the rankings differ little from the GDP or HDI rankings, but it could influence future policy discussions.
The rapid growth of China's economy over the past three decades has been greeted with largely unquestioned assumptions that increasing affluence would lead to a happier, wealthier and more equitable society. Of course, such assumptions came with an implicit acceptance that some would get rich faster, but also that these benefits would eventually trickle down.