Dollar Detuning and Gross National Happiness

July 15, 2008 in Codex, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
Tags: Bhutan, Detuning, Dollar crisis, FED, Gross National Happiness, Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

Learn to Love Your New Poverty Detuning – ZSZS ~ep10

Gross National Happiness

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 King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in 1972 in response to criticism that his economy was growing poorly. It signaled his commitment to building an economy that would serve Bhutan’s unique culture based on Buddhist spiritual values.

While conventional development models stress economic growth as the ultimate objective, the concept of GNH claims to be 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.

Rural poverty in Bhutan

The isolated, mountainous Kingdom of Bhutan began to open up to the outside world in the 1960s. It has adopted a policy of cautious modernization, moving away from a generally self-sufficient barter economy based on agriculture. Many subsistence farmers living outside the cash economy. Despite limited resources and strong population pressure, the agricultural sector, including livestock and forestry, is the main source of a livelihood for about nine out of ten people