Free Case Study
Bhutan's Gross National Happiness:An Economic Reality or Wishful Thinking ?
Call for a New Measure Cont..
These four pillars of GNH have inherent interdependence. While building and buttressing these pillars, there must be the requisite balance to take advantage of the middle path. The two political parties of Bhutan have imbibed the GNH ethos that has provided perspective to Bhutan's 10th Development Plan. Bringing down the percentage of population below poverty line to 15%, providing basic health access to more than 90% of population, achieving 100% enrolment rate and maintaining full employment are among the 10th Plan's major development targets.
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"If you want people to pay attention to something, measure it”, observed Ed Diener,22 professor
of Psychology at the University of Illinois. He designed a five-statement formula, using a 1–7 scale
for various verbal expressions of agreeing and disagreeing, to calculate self-reported happiness
(Exhibit X). Bhutan has attempted to measure happiness, the ultimate end – instead of measuring
income, the imperfect means – even though it has been difficult to quantify the former. Recent years
have witnessed considerable progress in the methodology of tracking happiness with some degree of
accuracy.
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As a good starting point for creating the novel metric of happiness, seven areas of wellness have been proposed for use . Karma Tshiteem, Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Commissioner, is entrusted with the job of figuring out what adds to and subtracts from happiness. The Centre for Bhutan Studies, a local think tank, has been commissioned to conduct a comprehensive survey to determine what makes 750,000 Bhutanese happy and what turns them sad, and also to devise a way to quantify that mood. The Centre carried out a nationwide pilot survey on GNH indicators covering nine different domains during December 25th 2005 and March 14th 2008. More than 1,000 households have been interviewed with nearly 300 questions.23 However, the researchers are yet to validate these indicators of GNH, for data-cleaning involved in the process is a tough and time-consuming task.
22] Esty Amos, “Does Bhutan Have a Better Way to Measure National Progress”, http://www.americanscientist.org/template/
AssetDetail/assetid/37221, November–December 2004
23] Wonacott Peter, “As Tiny Nation Tallies Up Votes, Bhutan Also Counts Its Blessings”, The Wall Street Journal, March 25th
2008, page 36
