Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define a standard of living in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product. The Standard of living refers to the quality and quantity of goods and services available to people. ... Measures of national income and output are used in economics to estimate the value of goods and services produced in an economy. ...

The term was coined by Bhutan's King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972. It signalled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Like many worthy moral goals it is somewhat easier to state than to achieve, nonetheless, it serves as a unifying vision for the Five Year planning process and all the derived planning documents that guide the economic and development plans to the country. Jigme Singye Wangchuck, (or in a pronunciation-based Romanization Jimi Singgê Wangchu) is the King of Bhutan. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by...

While conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH is based on the premise that true development of human society takes place when material and spiritual development occur side by side to complement and reinforce each other. The four pillars of GNH are the promotion of equitable and sustainable socio-economic development, preservation and promotion of cultural values, conservation of the natural environment, and establishment of good governance.

One of many alternative indicators

Some argue that, unlike the Genuine Progress Indicator which actually tries to measure well-being, the GNH does not attempt to quantify happiness. However, another school is in fact attempting the capture the concept of Happiness in quantiative terms. The two measures agree, however, that well-being is more relevant and important than consumption. The problem is that GNH depends on a series of subjective judgements about moral values. In practice this means that it is open to whoever defines the frame of reference, invariably governments, to define GNH in a way that suits their interests. The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is a concept in green economics and welfare economics that has been suggested as a replacement metric for gross domestic product (GDP) as a metric of economic growth. ... The well-being or quality of life of a population is an important concern in economics and political science. ... Happiness, pleasure or joy is an emotional or affective state in which we feel good or happy. ... Consumption is the using up of a resource. ...

Alternative indicators of economic progress have also been supported by a number of NGOs such as the UK's New Economics Foundation, and are employed in some governments notably in Europe and Canada. A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an organization that is not part of a government and was not founded by states. ... The New Economics Foundation is a British think-tank, or, in their own description, a think-and-do tank. The groups goal is to promote their progressive view of welfare economics and environmentalism. ...

GNH Conference

An international conference on GNH was held in Nova Scotia in June 2005, an event to which Shambhala Buddhists attached special significance. Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Official languages English Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia Myra Freeman Premier John Hamm (PC) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 11 10 Area  - Total  - % water Ranked 12th 55,283 km² 3. ... 2005 (MMV) is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In Tibetan Buddhist tradition, Shambhala (or Shambala) is a mystical kingdom hidden somewhere beyond the snowpeaks of the Himalayas. ...

References

• Layard, Richard (2005), Happiness: Lessons from a new Science, The Penguin Press

See also

• Post-materialism
• Utilitarianism

Post materialism is an economic philosophy focussing on quality of life and enviornmental sustainability over income and material possessions. ... ...

External links

• Nadia Mustafa, Time, 10 January 2005, "What About Gross National Happiness?" [1]
• Rajni Bakshi, Resurgence, 25 January 2005, "Gross National Happiness" [2]
• "Gross National Happiness - a set of discussion papers", Centre for Bhutan Studies [3]
• Institute of Empirical Research in Economics, Zurich University [4] – Working papers [5] search with "happiness"
• Frank Dixon, Innovest Inc. February 2004, "Gross National Happiness: Improving Unsustainable Western Economic Systems" [6]
• BBC Story of Bhutanese Refugees [7]
• A New Measure of Well-Being From a Happy Little Kingdom. The New York Times. URL accessed on October 4, 2005.