Gross National Happiness Concept and Practice An Alternative Framework of Development

1
Gross National Happiness Concept and
Practice(An Alternative Framework of
Development)

• Phuntsho Rapten
• Centre for Bhutan Studies
• 11 September, 2007

2
OVERVIEW

• What is GNH? A public good? Is it how each
  individual conceives it?
• What did international subjective well-being or
  happiness research find?
• What is deficient about economic paradigm and its
  GDP based measure of progress?
• Why is GNH important for governance right now?
• What are current strategies for realizing GNH?
• Where does the search for GNH and other quality
  of life indication lead?

3
HM King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, The Author of GNH
3
4

• Henceforth, our responsibilities will always be
  first and foremost, the peace and tranquility of
  the nation the sovereignty and security of our
  country the fulfilling of the vision of Gross
  National Happiness and the strengthening of the
  new system of democracy.
• HM the King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, 5th
  King of Bhutan, December 17, 2006

5
1. What is GNH? Is happiness how each individual
conceives it? Is it a public good?

• Rational utility maximization principle-
  irresponsible and ego-centric happiness.
• Happiness- absolute consumption and relative to a
  frame of reference.
• Happiness cannot necessarily be found in ever
  increasing consumption. But detachment from
  proliferation of wants.
• Happiness as the common good means that it is not
  left to chances of the individuals strivings
  within overall adverse situations that may be
  produced by unfavorable policies

6
GNH as the common good is a Buddhist equivalent
of Social Contract in our culture

• GNH refers to the creation of an enlightened
  society in which happiness and well-being of all
  people is the ultimate purpose of governance.
• Main perspective we require is to seeing all
  things as interdependent with all thingsour
  pleasure or happiness is not something definite,
  pure and obvious to one and all. There are costs
  or negative externalities of some of our
  pleasurable experiences. Then we can mobilize our
  energy to care more than our own, individual
  existence, resulting in meaningful
  interdependence. Then, the greatest common good
  is possible (Hershock P).

7
2. What did international subjective well-being
or happiness research find?

• Findings from the UK and the US

8
How happy are we? ()source Richard Layard,2005
p.14(Bhutan data added)
9
GDP and Life Satisfaction in the UK A Challenge
to the Political Status Quo
10
3. What is deficient about economic paradigm and
its GDP based measure of progress?

• Failure 1. Failure to value natural, human, and
  social capital. its measurement is biased towards
  consumption, not conservation
• Failure 2. Failure to make qualitative
  distinctions as it is a quantitative measure only
  and fails to account for qualitative changes.
• Failure 3. Omission of free time. A life consumed
  by work, stress, and making money will make the
  Gross National Product grow, but may contribute
  far less to Gross National Happiness.
• Failure 4. Omission of unpaid work. Many
  activities currently counted as growth do not
  actually signify increased production, but rather
  a shift from the unpaid household or volunteer
  sector to the paid market economy.
• Failure 5. The failure to account for equity is
  the biggest one
• These criticisms are point of departure for
  GNH-guided development from economic growth based
  measurement of progress

11
4. Why is GNH important for governance- right
now?

• Health Impacts
• 2. Enterprise Impacts
• 3. Citizenship Impacts
• 4. Ecological Impacts

12
5. What are current strategies for realizing GNH?

• The State shall strive to promote those
  circumstances that will enable the successful
  pursuit of GNH
• The State shall promote
• sustainable development of a good and
  compassionate society rooted in Buddhist ethos
  and universal human values
• minimize inequalities of income, concentration of
  wealth
• co-operation in community life and the integrity
  of the extended family.
• The State shall guarantee
• Extensive list of freedom and rights and
  liberties
• Free education up to 10th standard
• Free access to primary health care
• right to employment
• 60 forest coverage in perpetuity
• Integrating GNH into as a decision-making tools
  in all sectors and non-sectors.

13
What are current strategies for realizing GNH?

• Developing macro level index of Gross National
  Happiness
• Accelerating ongoing in-country and international
  research and analysis on GNH and their
  disseminations.
• Establishing values for non- marketable assets,
  such as biodiversity, amenity and aesthetic
  qualities, presents almost insurmountable
  difficulties.
• Transforming education curricula to serve not
  only for transmission of knowledge, but also the
  internalization of GNH
• Transforming technology (from IPAT to IPA/
  T) changing corporate strategies

14
6. Where does the search for GNH and other
quality of life indication lead?

• Psychological Well being
• Health
• Education
• Ecological Diversity and Resilience
• Community Vitality
• Time Use and Balance
• Cultural Diversity and Resilience
• Living Standard
• Good Governance

15
Thank You and Tashi Delek.