The Concept of Gross National Happiness of Bhutan

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