Abstract:
Bhutan’s GNH Index is a multidimensional measure and it is linked
with a set of policy and programme screening tools so that it has
practical applications. The GNH index is built from data drawn
from periodic surveys which are representative by district, gender,
age, rural-urban residence, etc. Representative sampling allows its
results to be decomposed at various sub-national levels, and such
disaggregated information can be examined and understood more
by organizations and citizens for their uses. In the GNH Index,
unlike certain concepts of happiness in current western literature,
happiness is itself multidimensional – not measured only by
subjective well-being, and not focused narrowly on happiness that
begins and ends with oneself and is concerned for and with oneself.
The pursuit of happiness is collective, though it can be experienced
deeply personally. Different people can be happy in spite of their
disparate circumstances and the options for diversity must be wide...
