Areas of Interest>National Happiness

National Happiness: Universalism, Cultural Relativism or Both? An Assessment

The Bhutanese concept of Gross National Happiness seeks to address perceived shortfalls in mainstream development thinking. Gross National Happiness is intuitively attractive, yet remains to be formalized; on the other hand, Human Development indicators are highly formalized but do not allow for national, regional or cultural differences. It is also evident that, while development tends to be defined in terms of means to achieve a poorly defined end, national happiness appears to identify the end without prescribing the means to achieve it. By comparing National Happiness with the Human Development Index and its components, this paper explores the differences between them.

The paper argues that for National Happiness to be effective, it can, and should, accommodate both the need for a universally applicable measure, and the requirement for the means to achieve this happiness to be defined in the context of the relevant culture.

Download the paper (pdf-Format), written together with Chris Whitehouse and published in late 2004 in the book "Gross National Happiness and Development" by the Center for Bhutan Studies in Thimphu, Bhutan, here.