Politics of Gross National Happiness : Governance and Development in Bhutan

This book explores the practices of governance in Bhutan and how they shape the implementation of the country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) development strategy. The author examines whether Bhutan’s innovative GNH governance framework successfully navigates competing power dynamics and generates the intended human development outcomes of Gross National Happiness. The analysis is structured around a comparison of the implementation of four GNH development policies – tourism, media, farm roads and human/wildlife conflict – and their larger implications on power, governance and the human development paradigm in Bhutan and beyond. Annotation This work explores the practices of governance in Bhutan and how they shape the implementation of the country's Gross National Happiness (GNH) development strategy. The author examines whether Bhutan's innovative GNH governance framework successfully navigates competing power dynamics and generates the intended human development outcomes of Gross National Happiness. The analysis is structured around a comparison of the implementation of four GNH development policies - tourism, media, farm roads and human/wildlife conflict - and their larger implications on power, governance and the human development paradigm in Bhutan and beyond Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Introduction (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 1-19 Gross National Happiness (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 21-31 Governance and Gross National Happiness (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 33-49 The Last Shangri-La? (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 51-73 Wrestling and Cigarettes (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 75-96 I Will Die Before You Cut My Land (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 97-114 Emerging Ambiguity (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 115-132 Conclusion (Kent Schroeder)....Pages 133-151 Back Matter ....Pages 153-159