Do not get too caught up on GDP figures. They can be the biggest bullshit indicators of an economy.
If I throw a rock through your window, you have to spend money to fix your window and over-compensate for heating/ventilation until the repair is completed. The local window repairman makes money. The utility industry makes money. Wonderful! The economy is stimulated and our Gross Dumbestic Product figures have risen!
If the government fixes the road and the road-crew does a shitty job, the government has to re-fix the road. Wonderful! The economy is stimulated and our Gross Dumbestic Product figures have risen!
If a government forces people off of their land -- example,
East Timor and Suharto -- to make way for an oil producer. Wonderful! The economy is stimulated and our Gross Dumbestic Product figures have risen!
Rah! Rah! Rah! GDP! Rah! Rah! Rah! GDP!