to pursue well-being in sustainable ways.” Five of these values were, and are,
fundamental. They are a holistic view of people’s needs, be they spiritual or
material, physical or social; balanced progress toward GNH with an emphasis on
preventing one dimension from outstripping others; a collective and
all-encompassing view of happiness; sustainability, so that well-being is pursued
for current and future generations; and a notion of equity such that levels of
well-being should be similar across society (Ura et al. 2012: 7).
The big difference from Western concepts lies in the idea that spiritual and
material development are viewed as two complementary and mutually reinforcing
elements of human progress. Responsibility for nature and motivations regarding
the well-being of others are integral to this view of happiness because, say
researchers of The Centre for Bhutan Studies in the book An Extensive Analysis of
GNH Index (2012): “We know that true abiding happiness cannot exist while others
suffer, and comes only from serving others, living in harmony with nature, and
realizing our innate wisdom and the true and brilliant nature of our own minds”
(Ura et al. 2012: 8). This view was already present in the 1999 government strategy
paper Bhutan 2020: A Vision for Peace, Well-being and Happiness, which had a
very explicit focus on the long-term and recognized the importance of economic
growth for such a poor country but sought to keep the balance between material and
non-material as well as spiritual development. The five overarching goals then were
human development, culture and cultural heritage, a balanced societal development
benefiting everyone, good governance and protection of the environment
(Bertelsmann Stiftung 2013: 70).
The overall development strategy was always embedded in environmental
programs and sustainable development strategies until the 2008 constitution
declared GNH to be the official guiding principle of the country’s development and
introduced the new measurement system. It is important to note that this index is
not intended to measure happiness as such, but to “orient the people and the nation
toward happiness” by improving their conditions (NDP Steering Committee and
Secretariat 2013: 30).
In practice this has led to the formulation of four strategic pillars of policy
planning. These are sustainable and equitable socioeconomic development, environmental conservation and the preservation and promotion of culture and good
governance. In order to specify and measure progress in these areas, an index with
nine dimensions was created. They include rather common dimensions like living
standards, health and education, ecological diversity and good governance, but also
unique and important elements: psychological well-being, which includes, but goes
beyond, subjective well-being reporting; time use; community vitality; and cultural
diversity. Each dimension has a set of between three and five indicators or questions
which are used for taking representative surveys and are analyzed according to a
total of 124 variables.
Except for the cultural, psychological and spiritual components, we find a lot of
similarities between the Bhutanese dimensions and the 11 dimensions of the OECD
Better Life Index which launched in 2011. These are housing, income, jobs, work–
134
4 Mapping an Emerging New Economic Paradigm in Practice
fundamental. They are a holistic view of people’s needs, be they spiritual or
material, physical or social; balanced progress toward GNH with an emphasis on
preventing one dimension from outstripping others; a collective and
all-encompassing view of happiness; sustainability, so that well-being is pursued
for current and future generations; and a notion of equity such that levels of
well-being should be similar across society (Ura et al. 2012: 7).
The big difference from Western concepts lies in the idea that spiritual and
material development are viewed as two complementary and mutually reinforcing
elements of human progress. Responsibility for nature and motivations regarding
the well-being of others are integral to this view of happiness because, say
researchers of The Centre for Bhutan Studies in the book An Extensive Analysis of
GNH Index (2012): “We know that true abiding happiness cannot exist while others
suffer, and comes only from serving others, living in harmony with nature, and
realizing our innate wisdom and the true and brilliant nature of our own minds”
(Ura et al. 2012: 8). This view was already present in the 1999 government strategy
paper Bhutan 2020: A Vision for Peace, Well-being and Happiness, which had a
very explicit focus on the long-term and recognized the importance of economic
growth for such a poor country but sought to keep the balance between material and
non-material as well as spiritual development. The five overarching goals then were
human development, culture and cultural heritage, a balanced societal development
benefiting everyone, good governance and protection of the environment
(Bertelsmann Stiftung 2013: 70).
The overall development strategy was always embedded in environmental
programs and sustainable development strategies until the 2008 constitution
declared GNH to be the official guiding principle of the country’s development and
introduced the new measurement system. It is important to note that this index is
not intended to measure happiness as such, but to “orient the people and the nation
toward happiness” by improving their conditions (NDP Steering Committee and
Secretariat 2013: 30).
In practice this has led to the formulation of four strategic pillars of policy
planning. These are sustainable and equitable socioeconomic development, environmental conservation and the preservation and promotion of culture and good
governance. In order to specify and measure progress in these areas, an index with
nine dimensions was created. They include rather common dimensions like living
standards, health and education, ecological diversity and good governance, but also
unique and important elements: psychological well-being, which includes, but goes
beyond, subjective well-being reporting; time use; community vitality; and cultural
diversity. Each dimension has a set of between three and five indicators or questions
which are used for taking representative surveys and are analyzed according to a
total of 124 variables.
Except for the cultural, psychological and spiritual components, we find a lot of
similarities between the Bhutanese dimensions and the 11 dimensions of the OECD
Better Life Index which launched in 2011. These are housing, income, jobs, work–
134
4 Mapping an Emerging New Economic Paradigm in Practice