Politics of Gross National Happiness

Politics of Gross National Happiness
Author: Kent Schroeder
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 162
Release: 2017-10-03
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 3319653881

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.

Gross National Happiness and Macroeconomic Indicators in the Kingdom of Bhutan

Gross National Happiness and Macroeconomic Indicators in the Kingdom of Bhutan
Author: Sriram Balasubramanian
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
Total Pages: 26
Release: 2019-01-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1484389719

This paper examines the origins and use of the concept of Gross National Happiness (or subjective well-being) in the Kingdom of Bhutan, and the relationship between measured well-being and macroeconomic indicators. While there are only a few national surveys of Gross National Happiness in Bhutan, the concept has been used to guide public policymaking for the country’s various Five-Year Plans. Consistent with the Easterlin Paradox, available evidence indicates that Bhutan’s rapid increase in national income is only weakly associated with increases in measured levels of well-being. It will be important for Bhutan to undertake more frequent Gross National Happiness surveys and evaluations, to better build evidence for comovement of well-being and macroeconomic concepts such as real national income.

Education in Bhutan

Education in Bhutan
Author: Matthew J. Schuelka
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2016-09-16
Genre: Education
ISBN: 9811016496

Bhutan is a country in the Himalayas with a relatively new education system and a unique governmental philosophy known as Gross National Happiness. This book explores the history, culture, challenges, and opportunities of schooling in Bhutan. It discusses topics including historical perspectives on Buddhist monastic education, the regional and international influence on educational development, traditional medical education, higher education, and the evolution of Bhutanese educational policy, to name but a few. It also investigates contemporary challenges to schooling in Bhutan such as adult education, inclusive education, early childhood education, rurality, and gender. Throughout the book, the developmental philosophy of Gross National Happiness is explored as a novel and culturally vital approach to education in Bhutan. The majority of the authors are prominent Bhutanese scholars and educational leaders, with select non-Bhutanese international scholars with strong links to Bhutan also contributing. This book is a valuable resource not only for those specifically interested in education in Bhutan, but for anyone with an interest in South Asian studies, general Asian studies, educational development, comparative education, Buddhist education, and the Gross National Happiness development philosophy.

Dealing with Emotions

Dealing with Emotions
Author: Birthe Lund
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 150
Release: 2015-06-25
Genre: Education
ISBN: 946300064X

Education is always evolving, consistently with a society in flux. So transformations in learning and pedagogy are necessary. These endless, rapid changes in pedagogy influence students and educators in a variety of ways and awake diverse emotions, from happiness to fear, from joy to anger. Emotions are proven to influence the ways students interact with the world. In the present book, the authors reflect on emotions and education from multiple perspectives: the socio-cultural perspective that looks at interactions among individuals, the creation and recreation of the self and others, the study of collaboration, change processes (transformative learning) and aesthetic and creative learning processes. The purpose of this volume is to reflect on students’ and educators’ emotional responses. The construction of a safe, stimulating learning climate is essential in innovative learning processes - emotional interactions, student-teacher relations and student-student interaction lay the foundation for collaboration and deep learning. The present book offers empirical documentation and theoretical reflections on how pedagogical and educational changes might challenge or facilitate learning for students and educators.

Buddhist Visions of the Good Life for All

Buddhist Visions of the Good Life for All
Author: Sallie B. King
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 233
Release: 2021-05-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000393593

This book highlights what Buddhism has to offer for "living well" here and now—for individuals, society as a whole, all sentient beings and the planet itself. From the perspectives of a variety of Buddhist thinkers, the book evaluates what a good life is like, what is desirable for human society, and ways in which we should live in and with the natural world. By examining this-worldly Buddhist philosophy and movements in India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, the Tibetan diaspora, Korea, Taiwan, Japan and the United States, the book assesses what Buddhists offer for the building of a good society. It explores the proposals and programs made by progressive and widely influential lay and monastic thinkers and activists, as well as the works of movement leaders such as Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, for the social, economic, political and environmental systems in their various countries. Demonstrating that Buddhism is not solely a path for the realization of nirvana but also a way of living well here and now, this book will be of interest to researchers working on contemporary and modern Buddhism, Buddhism and society, Asian religion and Engaged Buddhism.

Reorienting Educational Efforts for Sustainable Development

Reorienting Educational Efforts for Sustainable Development
Author: Rajeswari Namagiri Gorana
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 234
Release: 2016-07-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9401776229

Education in South Asia has a renewed agenda which can enable societies to leapfrog development that is sustainable such that the individual is prepared for his/her involvement, responsibility and commitment to local and global discussions of our common future. This book on South Asia will focus on initiatives under the Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) umbrella and discuss the challenges, opportunities, issues and strategies in the countries of the region. It presents these initiatives of Environmental Education/ESD vis-à-vis the administrative, economic, social, cultural and ecological realities of each country at various levels of policy, planning, implementation and evaluation. The discussions in this book extend beyond formal education systems like schools, higher education, pre-service and in-service teacher preparation to community education and education initiatives conceptualized with the goal of sustainability. All initiatives will demonstrate how each country in its own pace contributing to move ESD from the periphery to the core of education initiatives.