International Forum for Well-being &
Development Policy
Guadalajara, Mexico
November 25 th , 2014
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Retrieved from http://www.jamesmorgan.co.uk/photo/bhutan/

Inter-connectedness
Holistic
Balance
Sustainability
Retrieved from http://www.jamesmorgan.co.uk/photo/bhutan/

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4 th King of Bhutan
“Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National
Product.”
5 th King of Bhutan
“ … the beneficial development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occurs side by side to complement and reinforce each other …”
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Constitution of Bhutan 2008, Article 9:
“The State shall strive to promote those conditions that will enable the pursuit of Gross National
Happiness.”
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Goal for GNH?
Improve conditions for v   Good physical and mental health v   High spirituality v   Good education v   Clean environment v   Vibrant community v   Strong and vibrant culture v   Good governance v   Decent standard of living v   Work-life balance
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•   Setting an alternative framework for development
•   Providing indicators to sectors to guide development
•   Allocating resources
•   Measuring people’s wellbeing and happiness
•   Measuring progress over time
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Living
Standards
Psychological
Wellbeing
Health
Ecological
Diversity and
Resilience
Community
Vitality
GNH Time Use
Education
Good
Governance
Cultural
Diversity and
Resilience
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Artistic skills
•   Weaving,
Embroidery,
Painting,
Carpentry,
Carving,
Sculpture,
Casting,
Blacksmithing,
Bamboo works,
Gold/ silversmith,
Masonry,
Leather works,
Paper making
Speak native language
Cultural
Diversity and
Resilience
Driglam
Namzha (code of etiquette and conduct)
•   Importance
•   Changes in practice
Cultural participation:
•   Number of days spent in socio-cultural events in a year
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Safety
•   Having been a recent victim of crime
Donations (time & money)
•   Proportion of household income donated
•   Days of volunteering
Community
Vitality
Family
•   Family care
•   Wish you were not part of your family
•   Argue too much
•   Feel like a stranger in family
•   Family are understanding
•   Family are a real source of comfort
Community relationship
•   Sense of belonging
•   Trust neighbours
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2006-07
1 st Pilot GNH survey
–   350 respondents interviewed
–   474 questions, 1000 variables
2007-08 2 nd Pilot GNH survey
–   950 respondents interviewed
–   289 questions, 800 variables
2010
First GNH survey
–   7,142 respondents interviewed
–   249 questions, 700 variables
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Standard questionnaire v   Open ended/Close ended v   Simple wording v   Questionnaire structure/layout
Method of application v   Personal interviews
Pilot testing v   Items variation v   Meaning/translation v   Redundancy v   Scalability v   Non-response
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Living Standards
•   Assets
•   Housing
•   Household per capita income
Psychological
Wellbeing
•   Life satisfaction
•   Positive emotions
•   Negative emotions
•   Spirituality
Health
•   Mental health
•   Self reported health status
•   Healthy days
•   Disability
Ecological
Diversity and
Resilience
•   Ecological Issues
•   Responsibility towards environment
•   Wildlife damage (Rural)
•   Urbanization issues
Time Use
•   Work
•   Sleep
Education
Community
Vitality
•   Donations (time & money)
•   Community relationship
•   Family
•   Safety
Good Governance
•   Gov’t performance
•   Fundamental rights
•   Services
•   Political Participation
Cultural Diversity and Resilience
•   Speak native Language
•   Cultural Participation
•   Artistic Skills
•   Driglam Namzha
•   Literacy
•   Schooling
•   Knowledge
•   Value
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v   9 domains are equally weighted v   33 major indicators, 2-4 per domains do not share equal weighting
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GNH index uses two kinds of thresholds:
1.
Sufficiency threshold 2.
Happiness threshold
Shows how much a person needs in order to enjoy ‘sufficiency’ – how much is enough, normally, to create a happiness condition.
Each of the 33 GNH indicators has a sufficiency threshold.
A person who enjoys sufficiency in 66% of weighted domains is considered happy.
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How much is enough? is guided by… v   International standards v   National average v   Normative and aspirational v   Participatory meetings
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Identifying who is happy according to GNH
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Retrieved from http://www.jamesmorgan.co.uk/photo/bhutan/ .

Retrieved from http://www.tourism.gov.bt/about-bhutan/Economy
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INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS
NOVEMBER , 2015
THIMPHU, BHUTAN
ORGANISER:
CENTRE FOR BHUTAN STUDIES cbs@bhutanstudies.org.bt
www.grossnationalhappiness.com
THIMPHU, BHUTAN
CONTACT PERSON:
Conference Coordinator
TSHERING PHUNTSHO gortshompa07@gmail.com
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