Gross National Happiness vs. GDP
Geo Beats
2012-04-24
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Making Sense of Gross National Happiness - as part of the news and politics series by GeoBeats.
For much of the world, individual prosperity and happiness are tied to the economic progress of a country and a key economic indicator used by various governments is the GDP or gross domestic product.
This paradigm essentially implies that more we produce, happier we will be.
The small country of Bhutan has challenged that notion by using Gross National Happiness or GNH as a key indicator for its progress vs. the commonly used Gross Domestic Product.
Located between the two Asian powerhouses - China and India, Bhutan has a tremendously rich culture as well as immense natural beauty. In 1972, the King of Bhutan at that time came up with the term "gross national happiness" as a guiding principle for country's future progress.
More recently, at a Columbia University event in 2010, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Prime Minister Thinley described GNH :
While some argue such ideas are hard to implement at a practical level, Bhutan seems to incorporate them into every fabric of its society.
New York Times noted in a 2009 article on Bhutan that "Under a new Constitution adopted last year, government programs — from agriculture to transportation to foreign trade — must be judged not by the economic benefits they may offer but by the happiness they produce."
Even Bhutan's tourism video emphasizes the notion of happiness:
The rest of the world seems to be taking note of GNH. The United Nations is starting to implement a resolution based on the GNH Concept that was passed in 2011. Titled “Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development”, it recognizes that the gross domestic product does not adequately reflect the happiness and well-being of people,”
Ultimately, the challenge lies in measuring the effectiveness of GNH. And there are inherent difficulties in applying such a concept to larger, more complex societies. We all want to pursue happiness but how we go about that pursuit as a society and individuals still seems to be up for debate.
For much of the world, individual prosperity and happiness are tied to the economic progress of a country and a key economic indicator used by various governments is the GDP or gross domestic product.
This paradigm essentially implies that more we produce, happier we will be.
The small country of Bhutan has challenged that notion by using Gross National Happiness or GNH as a key indicator for its progress vs. the commonly used Gross Domestic Product.
Located between the two Asian powerhouses - China and India, Bhutan has a tremendously rich culture as well as immense natural beauty. In 1972, the King of Bhutan at that time came up with the term "gross national happiness" as a guiding principle for country's future progress.
More recently, at a Columbia University event in 2010, the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Prime Minister Thinley described GNH :
While some argue such ideas are hard to implement at a practical level, Bhutan seems to incorporate them into every fabric of its society.
New York Times noted in a 2009 article on Bhutan that "Under a new Constitution adopted last year, government programs — from agriculture to transportation to foreign trade — must be judged not by the economic benefits they may offer but by the happiness they produce."
Even Bhutan's tourism video emphasizes the notion of happiness:
The rest of the world seems to be taking note of GNH. The United Nations is starting to implement a resolution based on the GNH Concept that was passed in 2011. Titled “Happiness: towards a holistic approach to development”, it recognizes that the gross domestic product does not adequately reflect the happiness and well-being of people,”
Ultimately, the challenge lies in measuring the effectiveness of GNH. And there are inherent difficulties in applying such a concept to larger, more complex societies. We all want to pursue happiness but how we go about that pursuit as a society and individuals still seems to be up for debate.
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