The Two Faces of Gross National Happiness
Can Bhutan's Nation-Building Strategy Also Be a Sustainable Alternative Development Paradigm
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4868928 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Henri See (0000-0003-0688-7194, Independent Scholar, London, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 452-470 |
| Publication date | 2022-05-27 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Contemporary Asia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0047-2336 • E-ISSN: 1752-7554 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00472336.2021.1933139 |
| OpenAlex | W3168399188 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 21 |
This article considers two interlinked questions regarding the wider significance of the gross national happiness (GNH) development framework established in Bhutan. First, to what extent can GNH be considered a genuinely alternative development paradigm, distinct from the traditional pursuit of economic growth? And second, what are its prospects for survival in a globalising world? It argues that, while the government of Bhutan has succeeded in crafting a distinctive economic middle path, GNH's integrity as a development paradigm has been undermined by its dual function as the centrepiece of Bhutan's nation-building strategy. Based on close analysis of the actual trade-offs made by the government in operationalising the GNH framework, the article argues that, when these two competing visions of GNH have come into conflict, it is the nation-building version that has so far prevailed. In its treatment of these questions, the article also seeks to bridge a deep fracture in the existing literature on Bhutan by integrating less prominent work on the history of discrimination faced by the country's minority ethnic Nepali population, with the more dominant and complimentary discourse on Bhutan's experiment with GNH – which until now has largely ignored these darker aspects of Bhutanese policy-making
Development economics · Economic growth · Economics · Government (linguistics · Political economy · Political science · Population · Sociology · Income, Poverty, and Inequality · Psychological Well-being and Life Satisfaction · Sociopolitical Dynamics in Nepal
The new stylized facts about income and subjective well-being.
Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence
The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary Buddhism
World Development Indicators 2013
Second Elections and Democratic Consolidation
The Limits to Growth
Geographical Field Notes Urbanization in Bhutan
Bhutan
Where Did Bhutan's Gross National Happiness Come From? The Origins of an Invented Tradition
The Reality and Diversity of Buddhist Economics
Improving Well-Being in Bhutan
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |