Bhutan s representatives at the doha climate talks are warning that its gross national happiness model could crumble in the face of increasing environmental and social pressures and climatic change. In december 2005, the government asked the cbs to study bhutan s development concept of gross national happiness gnh, develop gnh index and. This famous quotation by bhutans fourth king jigme singye wangchuk can be seen printed in the offices of bhutanese government officials and written in crayon on the walls of classrooms all around the country. Gross national happiness gnh the fourth druk gyalpo, jigme sinye wangchuk at the age of 18, coined the term gross national happiness gnh in 1972. Gross national happiness of bhutan and its false promises. In bhutan, happiness index as gauge for social ills the. The concept implies that sustainable development should take a holistic approach towards notions of progress and give equal importance to noneconomic aspects of wellbeing. Pdf gross national happiness index of gcbs students of. Introduction this guide introduces the 2010 gross national happiness gnh index of bhutan. The remainder of this report presents the findings of the 2015 gross national happiness gnh survey, which collected information from across bhutan on many aspects of bhutanese peoples lives that relate to wellbeing measurement and analysis. Gross national happiness in bhutan center for global. The environment is central to bhutan s gross national happiness index. Under the patronage of his majesty the king sufficiency cutoff the gross national happiness index applies a sufficiency cutoff to each indicator. Over the years, bhutan has cultivated a unique approach to development with its national philosophy anchored on the principle of gross national happiness gnh, which was promulgated as the countrys philosophy of economic and social development by the fourth druk gyalpo, his majesty jigme singye.
Gross national happiness is a term coined by his majesty the fourth king of bhutan, jigme singye wangchuck in the 1970s. His majesty jigme singye wangchuk, the fourth druk gyalpo. The focus, right from the inception of planned development, has been on enriching peoples lives, improving their standards of living, and in augmenting peoples economic, spiritual and emotional wellbeing. How is gross national happiness measured in bhutan. The countrys fourth king, and father of todays ruler, introduced the concept of gross national happiness in the 1970s as more important than gross domestic product. Ive already written about the concept of gross national happiness gnh a lot.
The gnh measure, far from a bumpersticker slogan, embraces sustainable development, education and health, valuing societal good over economic growth. Bhutan is a tiny himalayan country that is developing into a 21st century nation guided by the index of gross national happiness gnh. Bhutans gross national happiness an economic reality or. Bhutan is planning to be the first only organic country in the worlds plastic bags are forbidden nomadenhilfe e. This method of gauging the wellbeing of a nation is very different from the gross domestic product gdp of the west and provides ideas that other coun tries, states and cities in the world have begun to consider. Bhutan measures prosperity by taking into consideration the citizens happiness levels and not the gross domestic product. November 2015 bhutans 2015 gross national happiness index. It also helps policymakers define development strategies to promote the gnh and check that no policy is going against the guiding principle of gnh. Bhutan s punakha dzong, a fortress built in the 17th century, sits in the pristine punakha valley. Gross national happiness, as the guiding philosophy of bhutans development process, was pronounced by his majesty king jigme singye wangchuck, soon after his enthronement in 1972. N ews from the international conference on gross national happiness, where bhutans happiness index rose from 0. Gnh is a philosophy that guides the government of bhutan.
While acknowledging that bhutan may score low on the scale of conventional indicators for a nations economic performance, he claimed that his country, secluded in the himalayas, would score high on an indicator measuring happiness. The driving development philosophy of gross national happiness from the himalayan kingdom of bhutan is a unique and meaningful living alternative that challenges gdp metrics, but has been. In a couple of blog posts, i want to outline the methodology, the 2015 survey findings, and the actual use of gnh as a policy tool. The gross national happiness commission secretariat gnhcs of the royal government of bhutan gratefully acknowledges the pivotal role played by our spcr stakeholders. Gross national happiness is instituted as the goal of the government of bhutan in the constitution of bhutan, enacted on 18 july 2008 the term gross national.
Gnh and gnh index karma ura, sabina alkire, tshoki zangmo i. This guiding policy of bhutan adheres to the notion that gross national happiness is more important than gross national product. Expedition bhutan trekked the length of the country, less for athletic glory than to satisfy curiosity about bhutans contribution to economic theory gross national happiness. These now famous words by the fourth king of bhutan, jigme singye wangchuck, have formed the basis for the countrys political philosophy, have been written into its democratic constitution, are measured by a series of established indicators, and have attracted the interest. India allows 16 entry and exit points for bhutanese trade with other countries the only exception being the prc and has agreed to develop and import a minimum of 10,000 megawatts of electricity from bhutan by 2020. Gross national happiness 60 minutes bhutan youtube. The centre for bhutan studies cbs is a social science research institute which conducts interdisciplinary studies on bhutan for advancing its social, cultural, economic and political wellbeing. Bhutan, a small country enshrined in the himalayas leads the way in the pursuit of holistic, inclusive and truly environmentally sustainable development.
Bhutans representatives at the doha climate talks are warning that its gross national happiness model could crumble in the face of increasing environmental and social pressures and climatic change. In particular, we thank the technical working groups twg. It includes an index which is used to measure the collective happiness and wellbeing of a population. The objective of gnh is to achieve a balanced development in all the facets of life that are essential. Gross national happiness also known by the acronym. Gross national happiness gnh is more important than gross national product. In bhutan, gross national happiness is what counts. The united nations general assembly declared 20 march as the international day of happiness because the pursuit of happiness is a fundamental human goal and in bhutan it is a. In bhutan, gross national happiness trumps gross national. Bhutans gross national happiness index the tiny, remote himalayan kingdom of bhutan first invented the idea of using happiness as a.
The survey was used to construct the 2015 gnh index, and to compare levels and the composition of. In bhutan, gross national happiness is what counts the. The state shall strive to promote those conditions that will enable the pursuit of gross national happiness. But attending the international gnh conference in paro, bhutan, i have improved my understanding of what gnh really means. Bhutan, known for its gross national happiness index. Thus the small country bhutan has come out with a big message for the whole world. Bhutans legal code of 1729 states that if the government cannot create happiness and peace for its people, then there is no purpose for government to exist. And the message of the 2015 gross national happiness index is a troubling one. Economists all over the world have argued that the key to happiness is obtaining andenjoying.
No book seeking to convey the message of a nations pursuit of happiness has ever been accompanied with such stunning depictions of real life. Gross national happiness tourism council of bhutan. The country does not want to become a significantly large economy. He put through a proposition that gross national product gnp was an insufficient measurement of the success of a country.
A living example of an alternative approach to progress abstract as a society we care about what we measure, we use what we measure, and what we measure drives policies and society in a particular direction. The government of bhutan should be known not for gross national happiness but for gross national hypocrisy. Today, bhutan is continuously ranked among the top 10 happiest countries in the world. Abstract gross national happiness is more important than gross national product. Gross national happiness, or gnh, is a holistic and sustainable approach to development, which balances material and nonmaterial values with the conviction that humans want to search for happiness.
Buddhist psychology and philosophy, which inspired the buddhist king of bhutan to conceive of gross national happiness, can offer a lot to the required shift in economic thinking. Bhutan is the only carbon negative land in the world ecological diversity. Thimphu, bhutanthis secluded buddhist kingdom uses a unique barometer to measure economic progress. The goals of the national development process of bhutan are primarily defined by three factors. Bhutan runs on gnh gross national happiness index, and not a gdp which is a unique concept in the world. The concept of gross national happiness gnh has become popular in the west. The sufficiency line is set, naturally, at a higher level than a poverty line. In bhutan, gross national happiness gnh is viewed as being by far more important than gross national product gnp.
For decades, this motto has served as the countrys guiding principle and. The idea of gross national happiness took modern shape in the 1970s under his majesty the 4th king. Gross national happiness index sustainable development. Over the decades, many conferences and discourses have led to increasing elaboration and development of this concept as well as its practice.