Can We Increase Gross National Happiness?

Why don't we care more about gross national happiness?

Governments, he says, should aim to maximize their people s Gross National Happiness rather than their Gross National Product. Does this new emphasis on happiness represent a shift or just a passing fad?

Achievement of the Goals will go a long way towards realizing our national development goal of increasing gross national happiness.

Bhutan has a Gross National Happiness Commission, chaired by the prime minister, which screens all new policy proposals put forward by government ministries. If a policy is found to be contrary to the goal of promoting gross national happiness, it is sent back to the ministry for reconsideration.

You know, there's a small country nestled in the Himalayan Mountains, far from these beautiful mountains, where the people of the Kingdom of Bhutan have decided to do something different, which is to measure their gross national happiness rather than their gross national product.

So Bhutan has this really wacky thing where they base most of their high level governmental decisions around the concept of gross national happiness instead of gross domestic product, and they've been doing this since the '70s.

Now, in essence, the king was asking us to consider an alternative definition of success, what has come to be known as GNH, or gross national happiness.

For over two decades, Bhutan's development process has been guided by the concept of gross national happiness a concept enunciated by His Majesty King Jigme Singye Wangchuk.

Gross national product

In search of a more balanced society that combines economic prosperity, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability, Bhutan famously pursues Gross National Happiness rather than Gross National Product. Many other countries including the United Kingdom are now following Bhutan s lead in surveying their citizenry about life satisfaction.

Gross disposable national income

Gross national product adjusted for

Forty years ago, Bhutan s fourth king, young and newly installed, made a remarkable choice Bhutan should pursue gross national happiness rather than gross national product. Since then, the country has been experimenting with an alternative, holistic approach to development that emphasizes not only economic growth, but also culture, mental health, compassion, and community.

(a) Estimates of gross national income

(a) Estimates of the gross national product

Gross National Product per inhabitant (in DM)

(a) Data on the gross national product

(a) Data on the gross national product

(i) Use of gross national product instead of net national income

Population assistance in relation to gross national product

(i) Use of data on gross national product

The per capita gross national product (GNP) is around 850.

a No gross national product figures are available for Montserrat.

GENEVA Asia s political spectrum ranges from the brutal despotism of North Korea to the enlightened constitutional monarchy of Bhutan (so enlightened that it developed Gross National Happiness as an alternative measure to Gross Domestic Product), with many shades in between. But the old charge that Asia is ill suited for Western style democracy is being leveled again.

PRINCETON The small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is known internationally for two things high visa fees, which reduce the influx of tourists, and its policy of promoting gross national happiness instead of economic growth. The two are related more tourists might boost the economy, but they would damage Bhutan s environment and culture, and so reduce happiness in the long run.

Thus, it would be premature to base bold new policies on happiness research alone, or to follow the example of tiny Bhutan by adopting Gross National Happiness as the nation s principal goal. Yet the findings may be useful to lawmakers even today for example, in assigning priorities among several plausible initiatives, or in identifying new possibilities for policy interventions that deserve further study.

(i) The scale to be based on data on gross national product

A growing number of firms have annual production exceeding gross national products.

Basic data distance, area, population and gross national product (GNP) per capita

Or happiness Striving toward happiness moving toward unhappiness.

Absent from this list, and absent from any discussions of happiness, are happiness in another's happiness.

We may agree that our goal ought to be promoting happiness, rather than income or gross domestic product, but, if we have no objective measure of happiness, does this make sense? John Maynard Keynes famously said I would rather be vaguely right than precisely wrong.

Happiness!

Happiness.

Happiness.

We repeat the goal is only 0.7 per cent of gross national income.

They both contributed to, and benefited from, growth of gross national product (GNP).

These routes to happiness haven't really increased happiness very much.

To happiness.

Or happiness

Peace... happiness.

What happiness...

According to that report, the elimination of poverty would require an estimated 1 per cent of world gross national product and 2 3 per cent of the gross national product of all but the poor countries.

This shows you life expectancy against gross national income how rich countries are on average.