The term “Gross National Happiness (GNH)” was coined in 1972 by Fourth King His Majesty Jigme Singye Wangchuck, who assumed the throne at the age of seventeen. Over the course of his reign, he opened Bhutan to the age of modernization. He emphasized the need to build an economy that would reflect and serve Bhutan’s unique culture, which is based on Buddhist values. The concept of GNH stands in contrast to development that is solely concerned with Gross National Product (GNP). Instead, GNH drives Bhutan’s development objective as a holistic approach, balancing material and spiritual development, and with improvement in the happiness and satisfaction of the Bhutanese people. After witnessing the challenges afflicting countries who were focused solely on economic growth, Bhutan decided to make GNH a priority, as well as more traditional markers of economic development. The four pillars of GNH are:
- Equitable socio-economic development;
- Preservation and promotion of cultural and spiritual heritage;
- Conservation of environment;
- Good governance
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