Gross National Happiness (GNH) is an attempt to define quality of life in more holistic and psychological terms than Gross National Product.
The term was coined by Bhutan's former King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972 soon after the demise of his father King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk who has opened up Bhutan to the age of modernization. It signaled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan's unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values. Like many moral goals, it is somewhat easier to state than to define. 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 of the country.
Development has been moderated and people are less well off financially than they could have been.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (born February 21, 1980) is the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan and head of the Wangchuck dynasty.[1] He became king on 14 December 2006, and was officially crowned on 6 November 2008. At age 28, Khesar is currently the world's youngest monarch and head of state.
Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck | |
|---|---|
| King of Bhutan | |
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| Reign | December 14, 2006 - present |
| Coronation | November 6, 2008 |
| Predecessor | Jigme Singye Wangchuck |
| Heir-Presumptive | Jigyel Ugyen Wangchuck |
| Father | Jigme Singye Wangchuck |
| Mother | Tshering Yangdon |
| Born | February 21, 1980 |
| Religion | Buddhism |
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[edit]Family
Khesar is the eldest son of the fourth and previous Dragon King of Bhutan, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, and his father's third wife, Queen (Ashi) Tshering Yangdon. He has a younger sister, Princess Dechen Yangzom, and brother, Prince Jigme Dorji, as well as four half-sisters and three half-brothers. He is unmarried.[2]
This is as opposed to:
The Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) is a concept in green economics and welfare economics that has been suggested to replace gross domestic product (GDP) as a metric of economic growth. GPI is an attempt to measure whether a country's growth, increased production of goods, and expanding services have actually resulted in the improvement of the welfare (or well-being) of the people in the country. GPI advocates claim that it can more reliably measure economic progress, as it distinguishes between worthwhile growth and uneconomic growth. The GDP vs the GPI is analogous to the difference between the Gross Profit of a company and the Net Profit; the Net Profit is the Gross Profit minus the costs incurred. Accordingly, the GPI will be zero if the financial costs of crime and pollution equal the financial gains in production of goods and services, all other factors being constant.
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