the concept of gross national happiness of bhutan
DESCRIPTION
An Overview Presented at Development Foundation02 August 2013ByDr. Anuradha Choudry and Dr. Vinayachandra B. KTRANSCRIPT
An Overview
Presented at Development Foundation
02 August 2013
By
Dr. Anuradha Choudry and Dr. Vinayachandra B. K.
The Concept of Gross National Happiness
of Bhutan
Jigme Singye Wangchuk coined the term in
1971
Centre for Bhutan Studies under the
leadership of Karma Ura developed the
survey instrument to measure the
population’s general level of well being
It serves as the unifying vision for the
Bhutan’s five year planning process
GNH impact statement
The Genesis
“if the Government cannot create happiness (dekid) for its people, there is no purpose for the Government to exist.” - 1729 Legal code
History
“Gross National Happiness (GNH) measures the quality of a country in more holistic way [than GNP] and believes that the beneficial development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occurs side by side to complement and reinforce each other.”
Definition of GNH
“We have now clearly distinguished the ‘happiness’ … in GNH from the fleeting, pleasurable ‘feel good’ moods so often associated with that term. We know that true abiding happiness cannot exist while others suffer, and comes only from serving others, living in harmony with nature, and realizing our innate wisdom and the true and brilliant nature of our own minds.”
- First elected Prime Minister of Bhutan
Not “Happiness”
Promotion of sustainable developmentPreservation and promotion of cultural valuesConservation of natural environmentEstablishment of good governance
Four Pillars
Psychological wellbeing Health Time use EducationCultural diversity and resilience Good Governance Community vitality Ecological diversity and resilience Living standards
Nine Domains
Life SatisfactionEmotional Balance (Positive & negative
emotions)Spirituality
Psychological Well-being
Self-reported health statusHealthy daysLong term disabilityMental Health
Health
LiteracyEducational QualificationKnowledgeValues
Education
LanguageArtisan skillsSocio-cultural participationDriglam Namzha
Culture
Working HoursSleeping hours
Time Use
Political participationPolitical freedomService deliveryGovernment performance
Good Governance
Social SupportCommunity relationshipsFamilyVictim of crime
Community Vitality
PollutionEnvironmental responsibilityWildlifeUrban issues
Ecological Diversity and Reselience
Household incomeAssetsHousing quality
Living Standards
Setting an alternative framework of development
Providing indicators to sectors to guide development
Allocating resources in accordance with targets and GNH screening tools
Measuring people’s happiness and well-beingMeasuring progress over timeComparing progress across the country
Purpose of GNH Index
Definition of groups ~ sufficiency in
% of population
Average sufficiency of each person across domains
Deeply happy 77 – 100 % 8.3 81.5
Extensively happy 66 – 76 % 32.6 70.7
Narrowly happy 50 – 65 % 48.7 59.1
Unhappy 0 – 49 % 10.4 44.7
GNH Index - 2010
Thank You