tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/bhutan-2760/articlesBhutan – The Conversation2023-11-14T19:07:02Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2102802023-11-14T19:07:02Z2023-11-14T19:07:02ZHow social media is breathing new life into Bhutan’s unwritten local languages<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549925/original/file-20230925-25-7tl134.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C5%2C3840%2C5748&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Dechen, 40, grew up in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. Her native language was Mangdip, also known as Nyenkha, as her parents are originally from central Bhutan. She went to schools in the city, where the curriculum was predominantly taught in Dzongkha, the national language, and English. </p>
<p>In Dechen’s house, everyone spoke Dzongkha. She only spoke her mother tongue when she had guests from her village, who could not understand Dzongkha and during her occasional visits to her village nestled in the mountains. Her mother tongue knowledge was limited.</p>
<p>However, things have now changed.</p>
<p>With 90% of Bhutanese people <a href="http://www.bmf.bt/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Social-Media-Landscape-in-Bhutan.pdf">using social media</a> and social media penetrating all remotes areas in Bhutan, Dechen’s relatives in remote villages are connected on WeChat.</p>
<p>She is in three WeChat groups where people usually communicate through voice messages in their native language. Most WeChat users in rural parts of the country communicate in their oral native language.</p>
<p>“I learn many words. I learnt how to say a lot of things in my own language,” the mother of two now living in Western Australia told me.</p>
<p>Dechen’s story is not isolated. Social media is giving a new lifeline to Bhutan’s native languages, which do not have written script and <a href="https://www.dzongkha.gov.bt/uploads/files/articles/A_Paper_on_Language_Policy_&_Planning_in_Bhutan_by_Pema_Wangdi_c8e8caeee831129a3be15aa6e99732c2.pdf">lack proper documentation</a>. By communicating through voice messages, social media is giving Bhutanese people in both urban and rural areas a new opportunity to use their local language.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/what-can-the-kingdom-of-bhutan-teach-us-about-fighting-corruption-109676">What can the kingdom of Bhutan teach us about fighting corruption</a>
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<h2>Losing Bhutan’s languages</h2>
<p>Bhutan is a tiny Himalayan nation with a population of under 800,000 people. Internet and television was introduced <a href="https://fid4sa-repository.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/2656/1/Bhutanese_Media.pdf">only in 1999</a> and mobile phones in 2004.</p>
<p>The country has more than 20 local languages, but only Dzongkha has written text and is promoted as the national language. </p>
<p>The country struggles to promote the national language and its usage against English. Today most urban residents, especially the elites, speak English as <a href="https://factsanddetails.com/south-asia/Bhutan/People_Bhutan/entry-7897.html">their primary language</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A Bhutanese woman on a phone." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549923/original/file-20230925-17-1tbu3z.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">WeChat users can send each other voice messages in their local language.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Many languages – especially minority languages – are vanishing or becoming endangered as younger generations switch to Dzongkha and English.</p>
<p>The medium of instruction in schools is mostly in English; Dzongkha is taught only as grammar and literature. Students are shamed and often punished for <a href="https://kuenselonline.com/language-policy-decolonising-the-mind/">using their local languages</a>. </p>
<p>The preservation and promotion of local languages, therefore, depends on the speakers. A language faces extinction when its speakers die out or switch to another language. </p>
<p>Linguist <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=PrIZwrkAAAAJ&hl=en">Pema Wangdi</a> has researched languages in Bhutan, and he told me many people are losing their native language.</p>
<p>“When we lose our language, we lose a piece of our national identity,” he told me.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Masked dance of Dochula Tsechu." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549926/original/file-20230925-20-4nntn1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Languages are an important part of cultural identities.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/dtwwEJcr8R8">Pema Gyamtsho/Unsplash</a></span>
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<p>Wangdi has identified there are no longer any speakers of Olekha, an indigenous dialect of Rukha in Wangdu Phodrang. </p>
<p>“The loss of a single language is a loss of a piece of our national linguistic heritage and identity,” he said. “When a language is lost, cultural traditions which are tied to that language such as songs, myths and poetry will be lost forever.”</p>
<p>Other Bhutanese languages – including Tshophu language of Doyaps in Samtse, Monpa language of central Bhutan, and Gongdukha of Mongar – are endangered and at the <a href="https://www.dzongkha.gov.bt/uploads/files/articles/A_Paper_on_Language_Policy_&_Planning_in_Bhutan_by_Pema_Wangdi_c8e8caeee831129a3be15aa6e99732c2.pdf">brink of extinction</a>.</p>
<h2>Preservation of local languages</h2>
<p>The future of the minority languages are at threat. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitution_of_Bhutan">The Constitution of Bhutan</a> mandates the preservation and promotion of local languages, but there are no official efforts to preserve native languages. </p>
<p>But encouraging people to speak their native languages can have far reaching benefits in preserving and promoting Bhutan’s rich culture and tradition. Language embodies identity, ethnicity and cultural values: a thriving local language would help transfer this intangible wealth to the younger generation. </p>
<p>Social media could be an invaluable tool in this preservation.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bhutanese man checking his mobile phone next a white stone wall." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/549927/original/file-20230925-17-2bc1di.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Social media could be an invaluable tool in the preservation of languages.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
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<p>Bhutan could save its languages from becoming extinct with promotion of social media usages and language education could be done on the social media platforms. With both young and old people glued to social media, encouraging more people to use local languages in social media could generate interest among the youth to learn their local languages. </p>
<p>It could also help in documenting the endangered local languages as the older generation can record their voices on WeChat.</p>
<p>Many elder citizens feel strongly about their language and emphasise teaching their mother tongue to the younger generation and their grandchildren. Social media – joining the younger generation on platforms where they feel at home – could be the way forward.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/thinking-of-taking-up-wechat-heres-what-you-need-to-know-88787">Thinking of taking up WeChat? Here's what you need to know</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210280/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Tashi Dema does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Social media is giving a new lifeline to Bhutan’s native languages, which do not have written script and lack proper documentation.Tashi Dema, PhD Candidate in Language and Politics, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1975802023-02-01T06:12:05Z2023-02-01T06:12:05ZI’ve spent years studying happiness – here’s what actually makes for a happier life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506104/original/file-20230124-12-si7r66.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=100%2C60%2C6609%2C4406&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/search/happy%20people/">Pexels/ajay donga</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s one thing to know what makes people happy, but quite another to live a happy life oneself. I didn’t get a true taste of happiness until I quit my decade-long career as a happiness academic, packed all I’d need for many months onto a bicycle, and began <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-i-quit-my-day-job-researching-happiness-and-started-cycling-to-bhutan-105531">meandering my way around the world</a> to Bhutan.</p>
<p>For those unfamiliar with Bhutan, it’s a small Himalayan kingdom, famed for basing <a href="https://weall.org/resource/bhutan-gross-national-happiness-index">all its national policy decisions on happiness</a>.</p>
<p>Quite the destination, quite the journey.</p>
<p>And I would learn more about happiness than I did as an academic. That’s not to dismiss knowledge acquired through books and letters. Yet there’s a lot to be said for actually getting direct experience in life. </p>
<p>Below are <a href="https://journeyforhappiness.co.uk/shop/">some of the important things</a> I learned on a journey for happiness.</p>
<h2>For sustained happiness, go deep</h2>
<p>When people talk about happiness <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/frank-furedi-be-afraid-here-come-the-happiness-police-5329919.html">some dismiss it</a> as a viable societal goal because happiness policy can be misconstrued as being about people smiling and laughing all the time.</p>
<p>Yet pleasant as smiling and laughing are, doing them all the time is neither realistic nor desirable. Difficult emotions are a natural part of life. These days I love a cry – it’s <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/is-crying-good-for-you-2021030122020#:%7E:text=Researchers%20have%20established%20that%20crying,both%20physical%20and%20emotional%20pain.">an important release</a>. And anxiety, which I’m prone to, is something I’ll be open and curious about rather than hide from.</p>
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<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="Quarter life, a series by The Conversation" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451343/original/file-20220310-13-1bj6csd.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<p><em><strong><a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/quarter-life-117947?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">This article is part of Quarter Life</a></strong>, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.</em></p>
<p><em>You may be interested in:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/houseplants-dont-just-look-nice-they-can-also-give-your-mental-health-a-boost-186982">Houseplants don’t just look nice – they can also give your mental health a boost</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-the-philosophy-behind-the-japanese-art-form-of-kintsugi-can-help-us-navigate-failure-193487?utm_source=TCUK&utm_medium=linkback&utm_campaign=UK+YP2022&utm_content=InArticleTop">How the philosophy behind the Japanese art form of kintsugi can help us navigate failure</a></em></p>
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spend-time-wisely-what-young-people-can-learn-from-retirees-189340">How to spend time wisely – what young people can learn from retirees</a></em></p>
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<p>The kind of <a href="https://people.acciona.com/organizational-culture/human-flourishing/?_adin=02021864894">happiness I value is deeper</a> – grounded in connection, purpose and hope, yet has room for sadness and anxiety too. Indeed, it’s this kind of happiness that a country like <a href="https://ophi.org.uk/policy/gross-national-happiness-index/">Bhutan aspires to</a>, and I think more countries (and people) should, too.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Woman with dog." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506101/original/file-20230124-20-u3basp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Happiness can be found in the everyday.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-smiling-woman-petting-black-dog-2124882/">Pexels/Gabriela Cheloni</a></span>
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<h2>Have goals but prepare to let them go</h2>
<p>Goals can be helpful. They give direction in our day-to-day lives. But it’s easy to get wrapped up in attaining an outcome, believing our happiness depends on it. </p>
<p>Rather than being in what psychologists call <a href="https://www.headspace.com/articles/flow-state">flow</a> – an immersive, in-the-moment state of being – we might doggedly push on towards a goal. Even though achieving our goals <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90318268/why-reaching-your-goals-wont-make-you-happier">won’t always bring us happiness</a>.</p>
<p>When I was cycling to Bhutan, I let go of the idea of ever reaching Bhutan many times, and through doing so I ensured my journey remained purposeful and enjoyable. And, when I did arrive, beautiful as Bhutan was, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2cHuUflGZg">exhaustion and homesickness dominated</a>. If we’re not happy along the way, then we ought to question whether it’s worth going at all.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Bridge covered in flags with hills in the background." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=370&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506096/original/file-20230124-21-ecnl5r.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=465&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Iron Chain Bridge of Tamchog Lhakhang Monastery, Paro River, Bhutan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/iron-chain-bridge-tamchog-lhakhang-monastery-667317535">Shutterstock/Sabine Hortebusch</a></span>
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<h2>Don’t be misled by stories</h2>
<p>There are many stories about what a happy life entails, but they’re not always backed up by reliable evidence. An example would be the “when I achieve this, I will be happy” story described above. Another popular story is that money buys happiness. I spent much of my research career examining <a href="https://theconversation.com/however-you-spend-it-money-isnt-the-key-to-happiness-25289">this</a> (and travelling humbly for 18 months).</p>
<p>What is clear is that having more money (beyond the point of meeting basic needs) is inconsequential when compared with having good quality relationships, looking after our mental and physical health, and living meaningfully in line with our beliefs and values. Yet, sadly, these things often get sacrificed in pursuit of more. </p>
<p>These stories persist because they support an economic system that is designed to <a href="https://journeyforhappiness.co.uk/2021/06/03/does-money-buy-happiness-thats-a-question-of-ideological-belief-rather-than-science/">increase GDP</a> rather than improve the wellbeing of people and the planet.</p>
<h2>Allow others to give</h2>
<p>Warm and loving relationships are <a href="https://hms.harvard.edu/magazine/sleep/good-life">essential for living a happy life</a>. Yet that doesn’t mean these are easy to come by.</p>
<p>As an academic, I saw how important relationships were for happiness in the data. But like many, I had a difficult time realising them in my own life. We’re not taught that way and often think people will only love us when we meet certain criteria, rather than unconditionally for who we are.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People dancing on rooftop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/506098/original/file-20230124-25-zjsp4h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Enjoy your time with others and let them be there for you.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-dancing-on-the-street-7502601/">Pexels/Rodnae Productions</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What shocked me most on my cycle journey was people’s kindness and generosity. People would invite me into their lives, offering me food or a place to stay, even when they owned little. When I set off, I was either suspicious of this generosity or racing too quickly onwards to consider stopping. But with time, I learned to let people in, and this led to deeper connections and more happiness.</p>
<h2>You can get through a crisis</h2>
<p>I wouldn’t have been able to reach Bhutan on a bicycle without facing a crisis or two. We will all face a crisis at some point. We might lick our wounds and get back in the saddle, but to find our way through a crisis psychologically, we need support from others. We also need to give ourselves time to make sense of what has happened and to ensure we move forward purposefully. These are all essential for resilience, and what helped me on my journey. </p>
<h2>You can’t beat the million-star hotel</h2>
<p>Nothing beats lying under the stars after a full day’s cycle through the mountains. Humans are of nature, yet we spend so much of our time indoors in built-up, often contrived, social spaces that do not meet fundamental needs. <a href="https://www.local.gov.uk/thriving-nature-people-and-planet">Nature is essential for our wellbeing</a> – not just to feel calm and peaceful in the moment, but to sustain human life for generations to come.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/197580/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christopher Boyce is affiliated with BiGGAR Economics, an independent economics consultancy, and Health in Mind, a mental health charity. </span></em></p>What I’ve learned on the journey to happiness.Christopher Boyce, Honorary Research Associate at the Behavioural Science Centre, University of StirlingLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1683412021-09-28T10:47:31Z2021-09-28T10:47:31ZWhat the world can learn from Bhutan’s rapid COVID vaccine rollout<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423549/original/file-20210928-28-7duqjo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=269%2C84%2C4827%2C3200&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/buddha-dordenma-statue-big-golden-thimphu-1459271045">NiarKrad/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Nearly half the world’s population <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations">has received at least one dose</a> of a COVID-19 vaccine. But figures vary widely between countries. Many low and middle-income countries have barely started their vaccination campaigns.</p>
<p>But the tiny Himalayan nation of Bhutan isn’t one of them. By the end of July, it had fully vaccinated 90% of its adults. Despite having few doctors and nurses, across <a href="https://www.unicef.org.au/blog/stories/covid-vaccine-delivery">just three weeks</a> in the summer it delivered a second vaccine dose to nearly every adult in the country. This is a remarkable <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/27/bhutans-rapid-covid-vaccine-rollout-hailed-as-international-success-story">success story</a> for one of the <a href="https://unctad.org/topic/least-developed-countries/list">least developed countries</a> in the world. </p>
<p><a href="https://thediplomat.com/2021/06/bhutans-health-minister-on-navigating-the-pandemic-as-a-small-state/">Health minister Dechen Wangmo</a> credits solidarity, Bhutan’s small size and its science-based policymaking for its success. Its achievement highlights how logistical challenges and vaccine hesitancy can be overcome.</p>
<h2>Donations are crucial</h2>
<p>Bhutan’s success wouldn’t have been possible without international cooperation. Its first vaccines were <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/bhutan-maldives-first-to-benefit-from-india-s-vaccine-maitri-101611191910201.html">donated by India</a>. By March 2021, India had sent 450,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, enough to give all eligible adults in Bhutan their first dose in the spring.</p>
<p>But getting hold of second doses was a challenge. India’s second wave soon arrived, causing it to prioritise domestic immunisations and <a href="https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/hit-by-indias-vaccine-export-ban-bhutan-seeks-help/article35006213.ece">ban vaccine exports</a>. Bhutan’s immediate source of doses had dried up, while India’s mounting caseload over the border posed a rapidly increasing infection risk.</p>
<p>After a tense wait, <a href="https://www.unicef.org/bhutan/press-releases/bhutan-receives-500000-doses-covid-19-vaccines-through-covax">500,000 doses</a> of the Moderna vaccine came from the US through <a href="https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/covax-explained">Covax</a>, the vaccine-sharing initiative. An additional <a href="https://www.southasiamonitor.org/bhutan/bhutan-receive-250000-astrazeneca-vaccines-denmark">250,000</a> doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine came from Denmark, followed by supplies of AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Sinopharm vaccines from Bulgaria, Croatia, China and other countries.</p>
<h2>Planning makes the logistics work</h2>
<p>Distribution was another big part of the puzzle. Bhutan is remote. Land access is only possible on a few roads from India. The Covax vaccines arrived by air at Paro International Airport. One of the most <a href="https://simpleflying.com/bhutan-paro-airport-exclusivity/">challenging landings</a> in the world, Paro sits in a deep valley. The surrounding peaks are as high as 5,500 metres. </p>
<p>Domestic transport is also challenging. Bhutan’s population of almost 750,000 is scattered over an area roughly the size of Switzerland. Not all of the mountainous country is accessible by road. </p>
<p>Because of this, the health ministry had to plan in detail how to get all adults their first and second doses as quickly as possible. This involved extensive field visits to remote districts, to map where people were and identify possible vaccination sites. The visits also <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/05/1092422">established ways of supplying</a> these sites – by road, air or even on foot for the most inaccessible areas. </p>
<p>Schools, monasteries and other public buildings <a href="https://www.gov.bt/covid19/vaccination-distribution-plan-moh/">were used</a> as vaccination centres. Keeping vaccines sufficiently cold at smaller locations could be challenging, so district hubs were created across the country to store vaccines and coordinate distribution to smaller sites as doses were needed. Domestic flights and a helicopter shuttle service were used to move doses around the country.</p>
<p>And a digital platform – the <a href="https://www.asia-pacific.undp.org/content/rbap/en/home/presscenter/pressreleases/2021/a-new-digital-system-drives-bhutan-s-covid-19-vaccination-succes.html">Bhutan Vaccination System</a> – helped speed up the rollout of second doses. It allowed people to pre-register online before receiving their jab and so not waste time filling in personal details at the vaccine centre.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Vaccine doses supplied by the US arriving at Paro International Airport, Bhutan" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423547/original/file-20210928-14-1cn912w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423547/original/file-20210928-14-1cn912w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423547/original/file-20210928-14-1cn912w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423547/original/file-20210928-14-1cn912w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=322&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423547/original/file-20210928-14-1cn912w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423547/original/file-20210928-14-1cn912w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423547/original/file-20210928-14-1cn912w.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Covax vaccine supplies arriving at Paro airport.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_United_States_Delivers_COVID-19_Vaccine_Doses_to_Bhutan_(51307679170).png">US Department of State</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>User research was also central to Bhutan’s <a href="https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/5/e005977">planning phase</a>. The health ministry ran online conferences with healthcare workers and authorities at district and village level to highlight expected challenges. Simultaneously, the ministry mobilised and trained healthcare workers to vaccinate and monitor patients.</p>
<p>But with only 376 doctors in the country, the planning phase soon identified a shortage of medical personnel. So 50 registered doctors known to be studying overseas were <a href="http://www.populationmedicine.eu/Recalling-doctors-back-to-Bhutan-for-COVID-19,125913,0,2.html">recalled</a>. </p>
<p>Nurses and healthcare workers were supported by the “<a href="https://desuung.org.bt/">Guardians of the Peace</a>” – a part volunteering, part national service programme that has been run in Bhutan for the last decade and has 4,500 members. These guardians encouraged people to get vaccinated and helped manage vaccine centres.</p>
<h2>Set a good example</h2>
<p>Good leadership has also been a hallmark of Bhutan’s vaccine rollout. There are <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/02/coronavirus-pandemic-bhutan/617976/">high levels of trust</a> in the country’s political leaders. This has been helped during the pandemic by the government having two doctors and two public health experts in its <a href="https://www.cabinet.gov.bt/the-cabinet/">11-member cabinet</a>. The prime minister and the health minister have spent substantial time on the national response to COVID-19.</p>
<p>The role of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck should also not be underestimated. While Bhutan became a <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/constitutional-monarchy">constitutional monarchy</a> in 2008, transitioning to having a democratically elected government, the king is still much revered. His presence has been felt throughout the country, as he has travelled to remote settlements to oversee protection measures. </p>
<p>One such journey was a <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/bhutan-king-treks-across-mountains-hold-down-covid-19-fatality-count-2021-06-25/">five-day trek</a> to meet and thank healthcare workers. Leading by example, he quarantines in a hotel whenever he returns to the capital.</p>
<p>Bhutan’s politicians also <a href="https://www.ajtmh.org/view/journals/tpmd/104/2/article-p441.xml">engaged with the public</a> to overcome vaccine hesitancy. A survey studied the public’s concerns, with the government’s response focusing on communicating the science behind the vaccine. <a href="http://www.moh.gov.bt/update-our-gyenkhu-6/">Uptake was promoted</a> by social media influencers and television and film personalities.</p>
<p>Cultural sensitivity was also crucial to ensuring public support. For example, <a href="https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2021/04/08/bhutan-vaccinated-almost-all-its-adults-against-covid-19-in-a-week">Buddhist monks</a> determined when to roll the vaccines out and picked the most auspicious time (the majority of the population is Buddhist). Monks also determined that the first dose should be administered by a women and given to a women born in the Year of the Monkey.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two Buddhist monks walking over a bridge" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423546/original/file-20210928-17-1n136n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=188%2C197%2C2806%2C1841&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/423546/original/file-20210928-17-1n136n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423546/original/file-20210928-17-1n136n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423546/original/file-20210928-17-1n136n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=409&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423546/original/file-20210928-17-1n136n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423546/original/file-20210928-17-1n136n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/423546/original/file-20210928-17-1n136n2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=513&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The speed of the rollout didn’t compromise efforts to make it compatible with Buddhist customs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/two-young-monks-walking-on-puna-1099642451">Wantanee Chantasilp/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Not every country can achieve what Bhutan has. Having a small population and high trust in authorities facilitated this rollout. But Bhutan demonstrates that a fast and equitable vaccine rollout is possible in low and middle-income countries.</p>
<p>What’s clear is that the international community has to work together on the provision of vaccines. Support may also be needed to manage distribution, as getting doses to remote parts of the world’s least developed countries is a huge challenge. Bhutan, though, should offer encouragement that meeting it is possible.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/168341/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Careful planning enabled this small, mountainous Himalayan country to vaccinate 90% of its adult population in three weeks.Sarah Schiffling, Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management, Liverpool John Moores UniversityChris Phelan, Senior Lecturer in Business and Management, Edge Hill UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1247112019-12-03T13:01:36Z2019-12-03T13:01:36ZHow can we actually create happy societies?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/304963/original/file-20191203-66982-1rzdvz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=23%2C15%2C5290%2C3574&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/5tOE8W2itb8">LoveFreund .de/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Imagine two different societies. In the first, people tend to be stressed, tense, irritable, distracted and self-absorbed. In the second, people tend to be at ease, untroubled, quick to laugh, expansive and self-assured. </p>
<p>The difference between these two imagined scenarios is vast. You’re not only more likely to be happier in the second scenario – you’re also more likely to be safer, healthier and have better relationships. The difference between a happy and an unhappy society is not trivial. We know that <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/bul-1316803.pdf">happiness matters</a> beyond our desire to feel good.</p>
<p>So how can we create a happy society? The Buddhist nation of Bhutan was the first society to determine policy based on the happiness of its citizens, with the king of Bhutan famously claiming in 1972 that <a href="https://ophi.org.uk/policy/national-policy/gross-national-happiness-index/">Gross National Happiness</a> (GNH) was a more important measure of progress than Gross National Product (GNP).</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303502/original/file-20191125-74603-1kb3snb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303502/original/file-20191125-74603-1kb3snb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303502/original/file-20191125-74603-1kb3snb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303502/original/file-20191125-74603-1kb3snb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303502/original/file-20191125-74603-1kb3snb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303502/original/file-20191125-74603-1kb3snb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303502/original/file-20191125-74603-1kb3snb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Teenage monks in Bhutan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/v6E9KNHvmhI">Adli Wahid/Unsplash</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Many other countries have since followed suit – looking to move “beyond GDP” as a measure of national progress. For instance, the UK developed a national <a href="https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/wellbeing/articles/measuresofnationalwellbeingdashboard/2018-04-25">well-being programme</a> in 2010 and has since measured the nation’s well-being across ten domains, not too dissimilar to Bhutan’s approach. More recently, New Zealand introduced its first “well-being budget”, with a focus on improving the well-being of the country’s most vulnerable people.</p>
<p>Such initiatives tend to broadly agree over the conditions required for a happy society. According to the <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/">World Happiness Report</a>, there are six key ingredients for national happiness: income, healthy life expectancy, social support, freedom, trust and generosity. Scandinavian countries – which typically top the global happiness rankings (Finland is currently first) – tend to do well on all these measures. In contrast, war-torn nations such as South Sudan, Central African Republic and Afghanistan tend to do badly. So does happiness rely on these six key ingredients?</p>
<h2>The what, not the how</h2>
<p>I don’t think so. This approach is, ultimately, too simple – even potentially harmful. The problem is that it focuses on what happiness is, not how to achieve it. Clearly, things such as a good life expectancy, social support and trust are good for us. But how we come to that conclusion may matter more than the conclusion itself.</p>
<p>For instance, how do we know that we are measuring what is most important? The world happiness rankings largely rely on measures of life satisfaction. But it is <a href="https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/13/happiness-and-its-discontents/">far from obvious</a> that such measures can account for important differences in emotional well-being.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303501/original/file-20191125-74562-kwnhgj.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=532&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Self-reported life satisfaction, 2018.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://ourworldindata.org/happiness-and-life-satisfaction">Our World in Data</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Alternatively, perhaps we could ask people what they think matters. The development of the UK’s national well-being programme took this approach, undertaking qualitative research to develop their ten domains of happiness. But this approach is also problematic. How do we know which of the ten domains are most important? The most important ingredients for one community may not be the same for another. Asking people is a good idea. But we can’t just do it once and then assume the job is done. </p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong – I believe these kinds of initiatives are an improvement on more narrow ways of measuring national progress, such as an exclusive focus on income and GDP. But that doesn’t mean we should ignore their faults.</p>
<p>There are parallels here with the pursuit of happiness on an individual level. We typically go about our lives with a list of things in our head which we think will make us happy – if only we get that promotion, have a loving relationship, and so on. Achieving these things can certainly improve our lives – and may even make us happier. </p>
<p>But we are fooling ourselves if we think they will make us happy in a lasting sense. Life is too complicated for that. We are vulnerable, insecure creatures and will inevitably experience disappointment, loss and suffering. By exclusively focusing on the things we think will make us happy, we blind ourselves to the other things in life that matter.</p>
<h2>Happiness 101</h2>
<p>Psychologists are beginning to focus their attention not just on the ingredients of individual happiness, but also on the capacities people need to be happy within inevitably insecure and fragile circumstances.</p>
<p>For instance, the so-called “<a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Wave-Positive-Psychology-Ivtzan/dp/1138818666">second wave</a>” of positive psychology is as interested in the benefits of negative emotions as positive ones. The mindfulness revolution, meanwhile, urges people to go beyond their notions of good and bad and instead learn how to accept things as they are. These approaches are less concerned with what conditions make people happy and more interested in how people can pursue happiness within conditions of insecurity and uncertainty.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303503/original/file-20191125-74599-1fs8haw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/303503/original/file-20191125-74599-1fs8haw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303503/original/file-20191125-74599-1fs8haw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303503/original/file-20191125-74599-1fs8haw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303503/original/file-20191125-74599-1fs8haw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303503/original/file-20191125-74599-1fs8haw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/303503/original/file-20191125-74599-1fs8haw.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=620&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">What is the secret to happiness?</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/QDq3YliZg48">Caju Gomes/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://artlibre.org/licence/lal/en">FAL</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The more we focus on our list of desired things, the more we fail to see what really matters. When we are certain of the things that make us happy, and urgently try to achieve them, we fail to appreciate the value of the things we already have and the multiple unknown opportunities we have yet to discover. When things inevitably go wrong in our lives, we blame others or ourselves instead of learning from what happened. </p>
<p>Psychologists are beginning to understand the limits of this. Happy individuals tend to have humility as well as certainty; curiosity as well as urgency; and compassion as well as blame. </p>
<p>We can apply these same lessons on a national scale. Creating a happier society requires not just promoting what matters, but also promoting the capacities for discovering what matters.</p>
<p>We know this on an institutional level. In education, we know that it is important to promote curiosity and a love of learning as well as good exam results. In academia, we know that, although we can discover important scientific truths, almost all of our current scientific theories might be surpassed by other theories and we should remain open minded. We know that the appeal and relevance of religious institutions depends on balancing dogmatic teachings with mystery and curiosity - order and faith on the one hand, openness and flexibility on the other.</p>
<p>Creating a happy society does not just depend on creating the right conditions. It also depends on creating the right institutions and processes for discovering those conditions. The irony is that members of the happy society described at the beginning of this article – who tend to be at ease, untroubled, quick to laugh, expansive and self-assured – are probably less focused on what makes them happy and more focused on exploring what really matters – with humility, curiosity and compassion. </p>
<p>To actually create a happy society, we need measures and institutions that do much the same.</p>
<p>
<section class="inline-content">
<img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/249586/original/file-20181210-76983-1azl8ax.png?h=128">
<div>
<header>Sam Wren-Lewis is the author of:</header>
<p><a href="https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-happiness-problem">The Happiness Problem: Expecting Better in an Uncertain World.</a></p>
<footer>Bristol University Press provides funding as a content partner of The Conversation UK</footer>
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</section>
</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/124711/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sam Wren-Lewis does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Societies have much to learn from the pursuit of happiness on an individual level.Sam Wren-Lewis, Honorary Associate Professor in Philosophy, University of NottinghamLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1096762019-01-22T17:43:19Z2019-01-22T17:43:19ZWhat can the kingdom of Bhutan teach us about fighting corruption<p>Fighting corruption is supremely difficult, as it is proved by the recent expulsion of UN anti-corruption mission <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/08/guatemalan-president-condemned-after-ejecting-un-anti-corruption-group">in Guatemala</a>, the jail sentence of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/oct/05/south-korean-president-jailed-15-years-corruption-lee-myung-bak">a former Korean President</a> or the murder of an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/17/ghanian-undercover-journalist-shot-dead-in-accra">African journalist investigating corruption</a>.</p>
<p>Considering the <a href="http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2013/Volume33/EB-13-V33-I4-P240.pdf">huge cost of corruption</a>, many experts and observers would recommend looking at <a href="https://books.google.fr/books?hl=fr&lr=&id=1laVCwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=denmark+finland+corruption&ots=Y7tv_usfVV&sig=ZrXJOkghs5MQ78Jtobs625dt57g">public policy or business practices</a> in place in countries such as Denmark, New Zealand or Finland, known for being transparent and accountable societies. Yet countries such as Bhutan, in the heart of the Himalayas, can provide original approaches in dealing with anti-corruption policies.</p>
<h2>On the path of the Thunder Dragon</h2>
<p>Known as the Thunder Dragon Kingdom, Bhutan has embarked on the path of <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/aspp.12127">democracy in recent years</a>, bringing on a series of social-economic changes while opening up to the world. Yet, it ranks among the poorest countries in the world with <a href="http://www.bt.undp.org/content/bhutan/en/home/countryinfo.html">12% of its population below national poverty line</a>.</p>
<p>Bhutan is also surrounded by South Asian states with <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780857094643500040">high level of corruption</a>, in particular India and Bangladesh. Despite its own challenges and according to the <a href="https://www.transparency.org/cpi2018">Corruption Perception Index 2018</a> of the NGO <a href="https://www.transparency.org/">Transparency International</a>, Bhutan ranks 25th out of 180 countries, while much richer countries do not fare so well: Poland (36th), Spain (41st), China (87th) or India (78th).</p>
<p>The results indicate that Bhutan may be a good example in a quest for effective anti-corruption policies. How did it manage so well despite the odds? And what can we learn from its experience?</p>
<h2>Loss of personal power for the public good</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255015/original/file-20190122-100276-wtayux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255015/original/file-20190122-100276-wtayux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255015/original/file-20190122-100276-wtayux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255015/original/file-20190122-100276-wtayux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255015/original/file-20190122-100276-wtayux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255015/original/file-20190122-100276-wtayux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255015/original/file-20190122-100276-wtayux.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bertrand Venard</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>In the fight against corruption, it’s essential to avoid hypocrisy – preaching good while acting badly. To avoid such behaviour, in Bhutan real actions and accomplishments are celebrated rather than mere words. There as in many countries, corruption is usually defined as the abuse of power for private gain against the public good. <a href="https://books.google.fr/books?hl=fr&lr=&id=aUDAAAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT9&dq=history+of+bhutan&ots=MoXFmrtVXx&sig=BMg8o9kT03mnVsxMPVusuwKQOCg#v=onepage&q=history%20of%20bhutan&f=false">Bhutanese history</a> offers some explanations that are linked to the Wangchuck sovereigns, called <em>Druk Gyalpo</em> or Dragon Kings.</p>
<p>King Jigme Singye Wangchuck (reign 1972-2006) has been able to demonstrate how a leader acts without corruption and how he embodied ethical principles. Indeed, in 2006, <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121800040.html">he abdicated in favour of a democratic process</a> in which most of the monarch’s power was transferred to a Council of Ministers and an elected Parliament. The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7193818.stm">first democratic elections</a> were held in 2007.</p>
<p>The monarchy sustained through the fifth and current Druk Gyalpo <a href="http://bhutanandpartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Official-Biography-of-His-Majesty-the-King-of-Bhutan.pdf">King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck</a>, who followed the same ethics as his father. In doing so, he also embodied what is antonymic to corruption: the loss of personal power for the public good.</p>
<h2>Making corruption a collective issue</h2>
<p>Involving the population in public life through elections marked a crucial change for Bhutan. In this Buddhist country, acting collectively is part of the culture, especially in the fight against corruption.</p>
<p>While compliance programs today often stress the importance of <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/75d1/85b8cff6a2fb06d2010d941392c5d9e22d8b.pdf">paying attention to leaders</a>, the Bhutanese approach the fight against corruption as a <a href="https://www.acc.org.bt/?q=node/1653">multiple-stakeholder question</a>, and result in <a href="http://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt/publicationFiles/ConferenceProceedings/4thGNH/34.4thGNH_HansvanWillenswaard.pdf">collective actions</a>,</p>
<p>Pupils, students, professionals, corporate executives, journalists and civil servants are involved at different levels to address and look at <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1056492615579081">corruption from their own unique perspectives</a>. For example, in investigated the country’s mining sector, the country’s <a href="https://www.acc.org.bt/">Anti-Corruption Commission</a> (ACC) interviewed a <a href="https://www.acc.org.bt/sites/default/files/Mining%20research%20report.pdf">wide range of stakeholders</a>, including mine representatives and inspectors, environment and forest officers and local leaders and representatives.</p>
<p>This process do not limit investigations to a small group of specialists, making anti-corruption actions more inclusive.</p>
<h2>Permanent anti-corruption and integrity benchmark</h2>
<p>A danger in any anti-corruption program is to follow only <a href="http://www.management-aims.com/fichiers/publications/121Venard.pdf">minimal practices</a>. For example, to limit the judicial liability of a firm, its compliance department could be required to follow existing guidelines, paying attention to the respect of standard anti-corruption rules rather looking at the effectiveness of these rules.</p>
<p>In Bhutan, the Anti-Corruption Commission and other experts look for effective methods and adapt them to the context of Bhutan. Concretely, the ACC staff compare the commission’s strategy, policies and actions to those of other agencies around the world, ask foreign experts to come to Bhutan to give advice, go abroad to learn about the latest policies.</p>
<h2>Evidence-based anti-corruption policy</h2>
<p>In general, most countries and organisations do not conduct research themselves and don’t base their anti-corruption decisions on research. While corruption has been shown to have a negative impact on economic growth, academic investments are made to deeply understand it.</p>
<p>In Bhutan, however, decision makers are working to build <a href="https://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/books/gross-national-happiness-practice-and-measurement/">data-driven strategies</a> in many areas. Bhutan has conducted <a href="https://www.acc.org.bt/?q=node/1719">several scientific inquiries</a> to understand the causes, consequences and ways of reducing corruption. For example, the ACC studied corruption in the public road construction with a <a href="https://www.acc.org.bt/?q=node/1841">collaborative survey</a> assisted by Ministry of Works and Human Settlement, Ministry of Finance and the Royal University of Bhutan. Findings detailed issues involving dishonesty, problems with monitoring and enforcement, undue influence and unfair practices.</p>
<h2>Ethical indicators</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255016/original/file-20190122-100292-dti2ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/255016/original/file-20190122-100292-dti2ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255016/original/file-20190122-100292-dti2ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255016/original/file-20190122-100292-dti2ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255016/original/file-20190122-100292-dti2ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255016/original/file-20190122-100292-dti2ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/255016/original/file-20190122-100292-dti2ks.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bertrand Venard</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To ensure the success of any anti-corruption action, indicators are necessary to follow its progress. The strategy set up by the King of Bhutan, the politicians and civil servants is part of the original policy of achieving the population’s <a href="https://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/">Gross National Happiness</a>, which puts happiness rather than wealth as the main objective of the country. Thus, the country has managed to develop its own overall performance index not on Gross Domestic Product but rather on (<a href="https://www.gnhc.gov.bt/en/?page_id=47">Gross National Happiness Index</a> (GNHI).</p>
<p>The GNH index includes several measurements of corruption, thus making anti-corruption policy is part of the <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/19369Bhutan_NSDGR_Bhutan_2018.pdf">national well-being strategy</a>. Bhutanese leaders and other stakeholders have designed some holistic “key performance indicators” to monitor the anti-corruption policy and its results.</p>
<p>For example, the regular National GNH Survey seeks to clarify areas in which the conditions for happiness exist. It includes questions about corruption, including where public action is required. For example, the Ministry of Education regularly evaluates integrity levels in its <a href="http://www.education.gov.bt/index.php/about-us/">programmes and trainings</a>. The success of an anti-corruption policy is thus due to its integration in a broader ethical vision as well as having specific targets.</p>
<p>While Bhutan still faces some corruption problems, including <a href="http://www.kuenselonline.com/an-insight-into-the-construction-industry-of-bhutan-part-ii/">2018 case of irregularities in construction bids</a>, the country’s success in the fight against corruption has been impressive. It is time for other countries to both learn from their inspiring ideas and apply them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/109676/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bertrand Venard is conducting several research projects about frauds such as cybersecurity and corruption. He is doing a major research project about cybersecurity behaviour, funded by the European Union (Project Number : 792137). He received funding from Anti-Corruption Commission of Bhutan. Indeed, he directed two major research projects to fight corruption in the mining industry and human resource management in the civil services of Bhutan. </span></em></p>Bhutan, a poor country, ranks 26th out of 180 countries surveyed on corruption. How does the kingdom fight such issue and what can we learn from such experience?Bertrand Venard, Professor, AudenciaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/841582017-09-20T12:54:05Z2017-09-20T12:54:05ZLessons from the Doklam Pass: how little Bhutan faced down China over a border dispute<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186798/original/file-20170920-932-7hqyo3.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bhutan-buddhist-kingdom-on-eastern-edge-711723511">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In one of the less reported stories of the summer, India and China came to a stand-off over a plateau in the Himalayas called the Doklam Pass.</p>
<p>This small strip of land separating the Indian state of Sikkim from its neighbour <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12480707">Bhutan</a> is one of several areas disputed by China and Bhutan. After the Chinese started <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-4649640/Bhutan-protests-China-border-road-dispute.html">building a road</a> on the controversial territory in June, India, with its own interests at stake and as Bhutan’s former representative on external relations, stepped up to engage with China.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/geopolitics/article/2103601/bhutan-can-solve-its-border-problem-china-if-india-lets-it">Border disputes</a> between Bhutan and China have a long history dating back to the Chinese <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-16689779">occupation of Tibet</a> in the 1950s. The recent episode arose on May 18, when China objected to two concrete observation bunkers built by the Indians in the disputed area. Three weeks later Chinese troops destroyed one of the bunkers with a bulldozer, leading to scuffles with local Indian patrols. India responded by sending more troops to the area, escalating tensions.</p>
<p>The incident acts as a reminder of the unsettled border between Bhutan and China as well as the areas of direct border <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-40478813">disputes</a> between India and China. Under the original terms of Article 2 of the <a href="http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b4d620.html">1949 Treaty of Friendship</a> between India and Bhutan, Bhutan agreed to be “guided” by India in its “external relations”.</p>
<p>As a result, in the 1950s, India asserted its right under the 1949 treaty to negotiate border disputes with China – a stance that the Chinese authorities rejected. The disastrous 1962 <a href="http://thediplomat.com/2012/08/historys-hostage-china-india-and-the-war-of-1962/">Indo-China conflict</a> further worsened relations between the two countries with Bhutan firmly held by India.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186799/original/file-20170920-19168-12ccjrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186799/original/file-20170920-19168-12ccjrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186799/original/file-20170920-19168-12ccjrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186799/original/file-20170920-19168-12ccjrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=441&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186799/original/file-20170920-19168-12ccjrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186799/original/file-20170920-19168-12ccjrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186799/original/file-20170920-19168-12ccjrg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=555&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">President Xi of China and prime minister Narendra Modi of India have both acquiesced in border issues with Bhutan.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.epa.eu/politics-photos/treaties-organisations-photos/brics-bimstec-summit-in-goa-photos-53070474">epa</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Restraint vs rhetoric</h2>
<p>This grasp was loosened, slightly, to allow Bhutan to begin a series of private talks with China in 1984. Unfortunately, although the talks appeared to be moving towards a settlement in 1997, Bhutan <a href="http://www.bhutannewsservice.org/bhutan-china-border-mismatch/">revised its claims</a> on its position. Observers and indeed many Bhutanese thought that this change in position was due to India’s strong influence on Bhutan.</p>
<p>Bhutan surprised many observers in 2007 when it secured Indian agreement to changes to the 1949 Treaty. In a <a href="http://www.commonlii.org/in/other/treaties/INTSer/2007/2.html">new treaty</a> signed that year, India’s right to “guide” Bhutanese foreign affairs was removed. The amended Article 2 provides that the two countries will “cooperate closely with each other … Neither … shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other.” The change effectively gave Bhutan control of its foreign policy.</p>
<p>The Doklam incident is noteworthy for the nationalistic rhetoric that flowed from the main protagonists India and China, and the remarkable restraint of Bhutan. There are important lessons to be learned from this recent incident. </p>
<p>In July, as the conflict escalated, the Tibetan historian, <a href="http://iar.ubc.ca/persons/tsering-shakya/">Tsering Shakya</a>, voiced his belief that Bhutan could handle its own affairs. His belief was well founded for Bhutan did, after a tense eight weeks, secure <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/doklam-standoff-bhutan-welcomes-troops-withdrawal-by-india-china-4818960/">Chinese withdrawal</a> from the disputed area. Bhutan managed to assert itself despite its diminutive size. But there are wider lessons from the Doklam incident.</p>
<h2>Political potential of social media</h2>
<p>The online debate in Bhutan highlights the importance of modern social media. Online newspapers and discussion forums were used by ordinary Bhutanese to express their <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/all-that-matters/with-two-bellicose-neighbours-noble-silence-was-the-only-option-for-bhutan-karma-phuntsho/articleshow/60341157.cms">concerns and views</a> on this incident. In a country that only allowed television in 1999, this shows the remarkable change that has occurred. Indeed, with the exception of leading newspaper <a href="http://thebhutanese.bt/giving-bhutan-its-due/">The Bhutanese</a>, the mainstream media in Bhutan barely mentioned the stand-off, reflecting the government’s restrained handling of the Doklam incident.</p>
<p>As Bhutan approaches its <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bhutan/Government-and-society">10th anniversary</a> as a parliamentary democracy next year, the Doklam incident appears to suggest a new phase of political discussion and engagement emerging. Many of the views expressed throughout were deeply <a href="http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2017/jul/27/who-is-bullying-bhutan-bhutanese-youth-take-to-facebook-on-china-india-face-off-over-doklam-1634510.html">critical</a> of the Indian media. More worrying for the Bhutanese government, which has close ties with <a href="http://www.elections.in/political-leaders/narendra-modi.html">prime minister Modi</a>, is the widely expressed <a href="http://thebhutanese.bt/more-than-the-doklam-issue-bhutan-worried-about-hydropower-projects-and-trade/http://example.com/">view</a> that India continues to seek to control Bhutan.</p>
<p>Bhutanese blogger Sonam Tashi openly suggests in an <a href="http://www.bestchinanews.com/International/11529.html">online post</a> that there is “an unwritten ‘no go zone’ in Bhutanese politics and media”. The focus of Tashi’s post is on India and its economic influence over Bhutan. However, what his post reveals is a new emerging aspect of Bhutanese political discourse – a challenge to existing political taboos.</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186800/original/file-20170920-961-yq91e0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/186800/original/file-20170920-961-yq91e0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186800/original/file-20170920-961-yq91e0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186800/original/file-20170920-961-yq91e0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=762&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186800/original/file-20170920-961-yq91e0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=957&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186800/original/file-20170920-961-yq91e0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=957&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/186800/original/file-20170920-961-yq91e0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=957&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Prime minister of Bhutan Tshering Tobgay showed great political acumen in dealing with the two superpowers on Bhutan’s doorstep.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.epa.eu/politics-photos/diplomacy-photos/tshering-tobgay-prime-minister-of-bhutan-visits-assam-photos-53429551">epa</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Bhutan and its current government, led by the prime minister, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/bhutan-prime-minister-business-gross-national-happiness">Tshering Tobgay</a>, have emerged from this recent border dispute enhanced by restraint and a display of political acumen. The Bhutanese may now wish finally to settle the ongoing border disputes with China. The rhetoric of the superpowers undoubtedly is seen for what it is – mere rhetoric. Yet the Doklam Pass incident ought to provide an incentive to <a href="http://www.tourism.gov.bt/map/thimphu">Thimphu</a> to reflect on its long-term relationships with its neighbours.</p>
<p>The maturity displayed by the Bhutanese government in its dignified handling of the Doklam incident deserves respect. Following the <a href="https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/As-Brics-Comes-to-a-Close-India-and-China-Hold-Bilateral-Talks-20170905-0003.html">first bilateral talks</a> since the incident, India’s prime minister Modi and China’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11551399">president Xi</a> both <a href="https://thewire.in/173989/modi-xi-bilateral-meeting-doklam/">agree</a> it should not happen again.</p>
<p>The Doklam incident may boost support for Tshering Tobgay’s ruling party next year in the National Assembly elections. What is certain is that the democratising effect of social media will make the 2018 elections distinctly different from the first and second elections held in 2008 and 2013.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/84158/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard W Whitecross has received funding from:
The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland
ESRC
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Frederick Williamson Trust
The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh Napier University. </span></em></p>The world has much to learn from the maturity, restraint and negotiation skills of one small country facing two superpowersRichard W Whitecross, Associate professor, Edinburgh Napier UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/706162016-12-21T06:40:00Z2016-12-21T06:40:00ZBhutan and Nepal: two ‘least developed countries’ that could change the face of Asia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150964/original/image-20161220-26724-ep3biv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bhutan hydropower potential could change around its position in South-Asian economics.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/21641536@N05/3800674972/">RadioFreeBarton/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>According to a recent UN report, “48 of the world’s most vulnerable countries will lose ground in economic development and face increasing levels of poverty” between now and <a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/post2015/transformingourworld">2030</a>. The <a href="http://unctad.org/en/pages/PublicationWebflyer.aspx?publicationid=1664">2016 report</a> of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development on Least Developed Countries presents some worrisome facts indeed. </p>
<p>Least developed countries (LDCs) are those that suffer from severe structural impediments to achieve sustainable development. Membership is revised every three years based on the average gross national income (GDP plus net income received from overseas); human assets (level of population undernourished, under-five mortality rate, gross secondary enrolment ratio and adult literacy rate); and economic vulnerability (such as population, remoteness, merchandise export concentration, natural disasters, instability of agriculture production, and instability of goods and services exports, among other factors).</p>
<h2>On the road to development</h2>
<p><a href="http://unctad.org/en/Pages/ALDC/Least%20Developed%20Countries/LDCs.aspx">The UN report</a> notes that while the 48 LDCs comprise around 880 million people – accounting for 12% of world population – they face such serious structural barriers to growth that they account for less than 2% of world GDP and around 1% of world trade.</p>
<p>In LDCs broadly, the percentage of people who live in extreme poverty has doubled to nearly <a href="http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ldc2016_en.pdf">40% since 1990</a>, population without access to basic services, such as water, has more than doubled, and two-thirds of people do not <a href="http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ldc2016_en.pdf">have electricity</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150981/original/image-20161220-26759-ymu72n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150981/original/image-20161220-26759-ymu72n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150981/original/image-20161220-26759-ymu72n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150981/original/image-20161220-26759-ymu72n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150981/original/image-20161220-26759-ymu72n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150981/original/image-20161220-26759-ymu72n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150981/original/image-20161220-26759-ymu72n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Batteries provide the only access to electricity in some villages in Cambodia.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/gregw66/3748755691/">Greg Willis/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Because the development performance of LDCs has been so disappointing, only four have graduated to developing country status in the time since <a href="http://unohrlls.org/about-ldcs/criteria-for-ldcs/">the category was established</a> in 1971. They are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228332162_Botswana_Case_Study_Role_of_ICT_in_Graduation_from_a_Least_Developed_Country_to_a_Developed_Country">Botswana</a> (1994), <a href="http://unohrlls.org/meetings-conferences-and-special-events/no-more-an-ldc-cape-verde-looks-to-build-on-economic-gains/">Cape Verde</a> (2007), <a href="http://unohrlls.org/news/maldives-identifies-challenges-in-graduating-to-a-developing-country/">Maldives</a> (2011) and <a href="http://sdg.iisd.org/news/un-ohrlls-announces-samoa-to-graduate-from-ldc-status/">Samoa</a> (2014). None of the countries is in Asia.</p>
<p>Progress is so slow that only 16 LDCs are expected to escape from this low development category by 2025. In Asia, these countries <a href="http://unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ldc2016_en.pdf">are likely</a> to be Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal and Yemen. Among them, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Laos and Myanmar are expected to do better and achieve broad-based development, diversification and structural economic transformation. And their foundations are likely to be more robust for continued development.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150977/original/image-20161220-9515-1pj7xyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150977/original/image-20161220-9515-1pj7xyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150977/original/image-20161220-9515-1pj7xyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150977/original/image-20161220-9515-1pj7xyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150977/original/image-20161220-9515-1pj7xyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150977/original/image-20161220-9515-1pj7xyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150977/original/image-20161220-9515-1pj7xyu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A gigantic sitting Buddha was completed in September 2015, illustrating Bhutan’s economic transformation.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/nwrafting/5145944398/">Zacharie Collier</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>LDCs are classified according to their export specialisation, or type of exports that account for at least 45% of total exports of goods and services during the 2013-2015 period. Yemen is considered <a href="http://wits.worldbank.org/CountryProfile/en/Country/YEM/Year/2014/TradeFlow/Export/Partner/by-country/Product/27-27_Fuels">to be a fuel exporter</a>; Bangladesh, Bhutan and Cambodia are <a href="http://www.palgrave.com/us/book/9780230608504">manufacturing exporters</a>; Laos and Myanmar are <a href="http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/business/aec/30278432">mixed exporters</a>; and Afghanistan and Nepal are <a href="unctad.org/en/PublicationsLibrary/ldc2016_Stats_en.pdf">service exporters</a>.</p>
<h2>Bhutan and Nepal</h2>
<p>In the case of Bhutan, the report has some serious shortcomings. It has ignored that Bhutan has been an <a href="http://siteresources.worldbank.org/SOUTHASIAEXT/Resources/Publications/448813-1219694050026/Regional_Energy_Trade_in_South_Asia_Final_ESMAP.pdf">important exporter of hydroelectricity to India</a>. Between 1997 and 2002, electricity sales to India contributed to approximately <a href="http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/energy/op/hydro_tsheringbhutan.pdf">45% of the country’s gross national revenue</a>. </p>
<p>This has translated, and will continue to translate, into <a href="http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/country-notes/BTN.pdf">better quality of life</a> for the population, including access to basic services, improved health and education, and industrial and commercial <a href="https://www.oecd.org/aidfortrade/48651659.pdf">developments</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150980/original/image-20161220-26759-128nnvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150980/original/image-20161220-26759-128nnvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150980/original/image-20161220-26759-128nnvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150980/original/image-20161220-26759-128nnvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150980/original/image-20161220-26759-128nnvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150980/original/image-20161220-26759-128nnvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150980/original/image-20161220-26759-128nnvy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bhutanese schoolgirls during the tshechu festival in 2013.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/azwegers/15226201643/">Arian Zwegers/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Hydropower has become <a href="http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/energy/op/hydro_tsheringbhutan.pdf">the backbone</a> of Bhutan’s economy. Thanks to electricity sales, Bhutan’s per capita GDP has become <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bhutan/overview">one of the highest</a> in South Asia. This was US$2,580 in 2015 (equivalent to 20% of the world average), <a href="http://www.tradingeconomics.com/bhutan/gdp-per-capita">compared</a> to US$1,615 in 2006.</p>
<p>The annual GDP growth <a href="https://www.adb.org/countries/bhutan/economy">estimated</a> for Bhutan for 2016 is 6.4%, from 3.6% in 2013. This would not have been possible without <a href="https://www.adb.org/countries/bhutan/economy">rapid growth</a> in industry and services, much of which has resulted from the availability of electricity. At present, Bhutan is the only country in South Asia that generates more electricity than its national needs.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150968/original/image-20161220-26748-10j8ggl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150968/original/image-20161220-26748-10j8ggl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150968/original/image-20161220-26748-10j8ggl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150968/original/image-20161220-26748-10j8ggl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=365&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150968/original/image-20161220-26748-10j8ggl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150968/original/image-20161220-26748-10j8ggl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150968/original/image-20161220-26748-10j8ggl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=459&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Nepal has much potential for developing hydropower.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nepal#/media/File:Nepal_topo_en.jpg">Captain Blood/Wikimedia Atlas</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nepal could also benefit tremendously if it developed a similar scheme with its neighbour India. For this to happen, however, <a href="http://lkyspp.nus.edu.sg/iwp/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/04/2011_Cooperation-or-Conflict_Hydrological-Sciences.pdf">decades of mistrust</a> between the two countries would have to be overcome. And this would be especially difficult <a href="http://time.com/4115801/nepal-india-border-blockade-madhesh/">given their ongoing borders tensions</a>.</p>
<p>So far, Nepal has developed <a href="http://bearecon.com/portfolio-data/nepal-hydro/nepal-hydro-report.pdf">less than 2%</a> of its hydropower potential. If <a href="https://www.thethirdpole.net/2016/05/12/nepals-eternal-quest-for-hydropower-challenges-and-quakes/">this potential</a> is developed <a href="http://file.scirp.org/pdf/JEP_2013071914103955.pdf">sustainably</a> in the coming decades, it could revolutionised the nation’s economy. </p>
<h2>Driving the whole region</h2>
<p>Electricity can be sold to its energy-hungry neighbours, India and Bangladesh. Considering Nepal’s per capita income of <a href="http://www.tradingeconomics.com/nepal/gdp-per-capita">US$689 in 2015</a>, which equivalent to 5% of the world average, this should be a welcome opportunity.</p>
<p>An initiative launched within the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation, called the <a href="http://www.asianews.network/content/bangladesh-bhutan-india-and-nepal-be-declared-economic-zone-16484">BBIN</a> (for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal), aims at better cooperation on electricity and connectivity with India.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ORF-Issue-Brief_135.pdf">Current discussion</a> among these countries could lead to <a href="https://www.thethirdpole.net/2015/04/09/electricity-trading-in-its-infancy-in-south-asia/">exciting developments</a> for the sub-region.</p>
<p>If properly planned and managed – and mindful of some of the countries’ specific <a href="http://www.kuenselonline.com/the-bbin-debate/">social and economic</a> concerns, <a href="http://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/ORF-Issue-Brief_135.pdf">cooperation</a> – it could contribute to improved quality of life and overall development in all four countries. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, because of <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/research/here-is-a-history-of-india-pakistan-conflict/">serious differences</a> between India and Pakistan, it does not seem that <a href="http://www.arabnews.com/columns/news/756621">Pakistan</a> would benefit from either regional electricity grid connectivity, or trade in the near future within the BBIN initiative. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150983/original/image-20161220-26729-ykk7e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/150983/original/image-20161220-26729-ykk7e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150983/original/image-20161220-26729-ykk7e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150983/original/image-20161220-26729-ykk7e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150983/original/image-20161220-26729-ykk7e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150983/original/image-20161220-26729-ykk7e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/150983/original/image-20161220-26729-ykk7e5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Bhutan’s flowing rivers could feed electricity to neighbouring countries.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/360around/8646555326/">Inga Vitola/Flickr</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p><a href="https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/173198/south-asia-wp-038.pdf">According to the Asia Development Bank</a>, there’s a glimmer of hope in the region because of a number of projects. There are <a href="http://sasec.asia/index.php?page=news&nid=297&url=adb-energy-study-quantifies-benefits">several</a> cross-border electricity transmission interconnections planned or ongoing, such as the Bhutan-India additional <a href="https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/173198/south-asia-wp-038.pdf">grid reinforcement</a>. </p>
<p>The India-Nepal 1,000-megawatt (MW) interconnection <a href="http://www.enerdata.net/enerdatauk/press-and-publication/energy-news-001/world-bank-approves-us37m-loan-india-nepal-power-interconnection_21532.html">is already working</a>, and Nepal <a href="http://www.hydropower.org/country-profiles/nepal">is importing 80MW at 132 kilovolts</a> from India. Other transmission links between the two countries are <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Nepal-seeks-more-power-transmission-lines-from-India/articleshow/51070299.cms">under construction</a>, as well as between <a href="http://www.elp.com/articles/2013/10/india-bangladesh-open-500-mw-power-transmission-link.html">Bangladesh</a> and India. </p>
<p>In addition, there is the <a href="http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/indo-sri-lankan-under-sea-transmission-project-hits-roadblocks-113053000502_1.html">proposed India-Sri Lanka</a> high voltage direct current transmission link with a submarine cable component; and <a href="http://www.nepalenergyforum.com/electricity-trading-prospects/">a few projects</a> including <a href="https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/173198/south-asia-wp-038.pdf">India-Pakistan</a>. </p>
<p>The capacity of each of these six transmission interconnections ranges from 250MW to 2100MW, <a href="https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/173198/south-asia-wp-038.pdf">and would cost</a> between US$140 million to US$1000 million to construct.</p>
<p>An important way countries in South Asia can accelerate their economic development, and graduate from the LDC category, is by working with each other. The region has more poor people than all the countries in Sub-Sahara Africa. Their economic futures could change radically through collaboration between the countries in the region, lifting millions of people out of poverty.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70616/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Cecilia Tortajada does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Bhutan and Nepal could change economic development in South Asia, thanks to their hydropower potential.Cecilia Tortajada, Senior Researcher, National University of SingaporeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/334142014-12-01T20:02:31Z2014-12-01T20:02:31ZBeyond GDP: are there better ways to measure well-being?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65499/original/image-20141125-4217-vhgh8j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Alternatives to GDP are already in use, but are yet to gain widespread acceptance.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image sourced from www.shutterstock.com</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>“At present, we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it GDP.”</em> — Paul Hawken </p>
<p>Imagine if a corporation used Gross Domestic Product (GDP) accounting to do its books: it would be adding all its income and expenses together to get a final number. Nobody would think that’s a very good indication of how well that business was doing. Herman Daly, a former senior economist at the World Bank, said that, “the current national accounting system treats the earth as a business in liquidation.” He also noted that we are now in a period of “uneconomic growth”; where GDP is growing but societal welfare is not. </p>
<p>The good news is that there are several alternatives to GDP being actively developed, discussed, and used. One of these is the <a href="http://genuineprogress.net/genuine-progress-indicator/">Genuine Progress Indicator</a> (GPI). </p>
<p>GPI starts with personal consumption expenditures — a major component of GDP — and adjusts it using 25 components. These adjustments include incorporating the negative effects of income inequality on welfare; adding positive elements not considered in GDP, such as the benefits of household work, volunteer work, and higher education; and subtracting environmental costs and social costs like the costs of crime, unemployment, and pollution. In doing so, it paints a more accurate picture of how far we’ve come over the last three decades.</p>
<h2>Regional level</h2>
<p>In the United States, the states of Maryland and Vermont officially report their GPI annually. In 2010, Maryland was the first state to officially adopt the GPI as an alternative to GDP. The state’s goal was “to measure whether or not economic progress results in sustainable prosperity”. </p>
<p>Since its beginning, Maryland governor Martin O'Malley has <a href="http://www.dnr.maryland.gov/mdgpi/">actively implemented policies to encourage the increase of GPI</a>. The media has also taken up the challenge of shedding light on the true picture of societal welfare, with media coverage now regularly reporting on changes in GPI.</p>
<p>In 2012, the state of Vermont passed legislation mandating the calculation of GPI. Since then, GPI has been estimated for other states including Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon, and Utah, while ten others have expressed interest in developing their own studies.</p>
<p>This movement towards GPI is part of an international trend, and GPI has been calculated in around 20 countries worldwide. The international research community has begun to develop what is being called “GPI 2.0”. GPI 2.0 seeks to improve standardization and robustness of the current GPI.</p>
<h2>National level</h2>
<p>GPI is not the only new measure of societal welfare being adopted around the world. The Kingdom of Bhutan began using <a href="http://www.grossnationalhappiness.com/">Gross National Happiness</a> (GNH) as an alternative to GDP in 1972 after fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck, stated that “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product.” </p>
<p>GNH is estimated using a survey that takes approximately seven hours per person. In 2013, it was taken by more than 10% of the Bhutanese population. The Bhutanese government also established the GNH Commission to assess all new policies for their impact on the “happiness” or well-being of the population.</p>
<p>The Australian Bureau of Statistics also began moving in this direction with the <a href="http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/1370.0">Measures of Australia’s Progress</a> (MAP) initiative. MAP was established to address the question, “Is life in Australia getting better?” MAP provides Australians with 26 indicators related to society, economy, environment, and governance. Unlike the GPI, it does not aggregate the indicators into one overall measure, but allows viewers to make their own assessment regarding the well-being of the Australian population based on the individual indicators. However, funding was discontinued for MAP in early 2014.</p>
<h2>Global effort</h2>
<p>Currently, no global consensus exists regarding alternatives to GDP. However, there is growing agreement that the continued use of GDP as a proxy for overall well-being is not appropriate. A range of national indicators exist and are being used around the world </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=1001&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1259&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1259&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/65809/original/image-20141128-9764-1kqiz3c.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1259&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<p>The <a href="http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/">Millennium Development Goals</a>, which are ending in 2015, look primarily at health, poverty, and education. To replace them, a UN-led initiative has developed a set of 17 <a href="http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/focussdgs.html">Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)</a>. These new goals have a broader agenda that includes the environment, inequality, and sustainable and equitable economic growth, amongst other aspects. </p>
<p>Although metrics are being developed for each of the 17 goals and their sub-goals, as of yet, no overall indicator has been developed to assess the overall success of the SDGs. </p>
<p>Robert F. Kennedy once said that a country’s GDP measures “everything except that which makes life worthwhile”. The only way to dethrone GDP from its current role, is to start measuring all those things that do “make life worthwhile”.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>This article is part of an ongoing series, <strong>Beyond GDP</strong>, which looks at the dominance of GDP in economic thinking and how that might change. <a href="https://theconversation.com/uk/topics/beyondgdp">Read more here</a></em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/33414/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ida Kubiszewski does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>“At present, we are stealing the future, selling it in the present, and calling it GDP.” — Paul Hawken Imagine if a corporation used Gross Domestic Product (GDP) accounting to do its books: it would be…Ida Kubiszewski, Senior Lecturer at Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/213382013-12-26T22:13:13Z2013-12-26T22:13:13ZBhutan’s environmental success is a pleasing paradox<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37550/original/wz6tv4mf-1386817350.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Bhutan has built its economy and society on preserving the environment.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jean-Marie Hullot</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a time of diminishing global biodiversity, Bhutan’s conservation achievements read like an environmentalist’s heavenly dream. More than 50% of its land area is designated as protected in national parks, nature reserves and biological corridors. More than 80% of the country is covered by natural forests, and it has a reafforestation program that is further increasing this figure. And its record on carbon sequestration is greater than its national emissions by a factor of two. </p>
<p>Bhutan’s environmental successes are running so counter-current to most other countries, they represent a “pleasing paradox”. And they demonstrate that it is possible to preserve very high biodiversity while achieving sustainable development. </p>
<h2>Bhutan’s counter intuitive development goals</h2>
<p>For Bhutan, environmental sustainability is both the primary objective and the starting point for national development.</p>
<p>Within its 2008 national constitution, the government pledged to protect, conserve and improve its pristine environment and safeguard the biodiversity of the country. </p>
<p>The flip side is that all Bhutanese are formally held responsible under the constitution to protect the environment.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=835&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=835&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=835&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1049&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1049&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37551/original/xsmm98g3-1386817565.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1049&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rob Brooks</span></span>
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<p>The country is transcending the classical tension between economic development and environmental conservation by developing sectors that require continuing environmental protection to be sustainable. </p>
<p>This has included a “run-of-the-river” hydroelectricity development which requires the preservation of watersheds in natural forest. Their national needs for electricity are met while generating foreign exchange with India, which has expanding energy needs. </p>
<p>Bhutan has also developed a “low impact-high value” approach to tourism, guarding against some of the negative, culturally destructive aspects of mass tourism.</p>
<p>Controlled pricing and limiting the numbers of tourists and their access to certain areas is also minimising unwanted impacts.</p>
<p>They have built an eco-tourism industry around protected areas. This ensures the conservation of biodiversity and landscapes that particularly attract the eco-tourist. It also generates income for communities living with problematic wildlife. </p>
<h2>Resolving human-wildlife conflicts</h2>
<p>Bhutan’s success in growing wildlife populations can often lead to conflicts with communities living within protected areas. </p>
<p>Snow leopards can be very effective predators of domestic yak, often the primary source of livelihood and wealth of yak-herding communities. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37465/original/8ryd4mqf-1386743498.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37465/original/8ryd4mqf-1386743498.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37465/original/8ryd4mqf-1386743498.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37465/original/8ryd4mqf-1386743498.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37465/original/8ryd4mqf-1386743498.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37465/original/8ryd4mqf-1386743498.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37465/original/8ryd4mqf-1386743498.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">To protect snow leopard populations, Bhutanese yak herders are compensated by the community for the loss of their livestock.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Flickr/Greg Headley</span></span>
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</figure>
<p>These communities who experience high losses to snow leopards are renowned for their unbelievable level of tolerance to these beautiful predators that are so attractive to eco-tourists. </p>
<p>However, nationally it felt unjust that communities in prime snow leopard land should bear the full brunt of their predation.</p>
<p>Community-based compensation and herd insurance programs, funded by revenues from eco-tourism and non-timber forest products, are transforming snow leopards into an economic asset.</p>
<p>This brings tangible benefits rather than liabilities to the local community.</p>
<h2>Why is environmental conservation so important to Bhutan?</h2>
<p>Part of the answer seems to lie in aspects of Bhutan’s metaphysical heritage. The original religion of Bon Shamanism inculcates reverence for the local deities and spirits that inhabit components of the landscape. Supernatural qualities are ascribed to animals.</p>
<p>Forests are seen as a valuable source of spiritual health, necessitating their conservation. Moreover, Mahayana Buddhism, that supplanted Bon, aspires to deeply perceive the interdependence of all things and events.</p>
<p>A very strong eco-ethical sentiment is found in the Buddhist belief that all actions should bring the most help and least harm to other sentient beings.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37552/original/7jmhtkmk-1386817740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/37552/original/7jmhtkmk-1386817740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37552/original/7jmhtkmk-1386817740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37552/original/7jmhtkmk-1386817740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37552/original/7jmhtkmk-1386817740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37552/original/7jmhtkmk-1386817740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/37552/original/7jmhtkmk-1386817740.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="attribution"><span class="source">jadis1958/flickr</span></span>
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<h2>What can we learn from Bhutan?</h2>
<p>It is important to firstly acknowledge that Bhutan’s Eastern metaphysics, which ascribe sentience to other animals, is a very similar viewpoint to the Western scientific tradition.</p>
<p>Our ultimate materialist, Charles Darwin, was willing to look for sentience in worms and he found it. Recent investigations have found sentience in a variety of taxa, beginning with ants. </p>
<p>Moreover, Darwin proclaimed: “the love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.”</p>
<p>This is not so far from Bhutan’s ethic for compassionate conservation. But the priority we give to biodiversity conservation and sustainability is much lower in our list of concerns. </p>
<p>We could learn to celebrate our wildlife in festivals and art forms as the Bhutanese do, acknowledging they are also sentient. In doing so, we might care for them more. </p>
<p>And maybe the compassionate Australian ethic of a “fair go for all” could be extended to embrace all the sentient beings that we share our continent with.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/21338/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Ross Jeffree does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In a time of diminishing global biodiversity, Bhutan’s conservation achievements read like an environmentalist’s heavenly dream. More than 50% of its land area is designated as protected in national parks…Ross Jeffree, Adjunct Professor, School of the Environment, University of Technology SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/89632012-08-23T20:06:59Z2012-08-23T20:06:59ZTall tales misrepresent the real story behind Bhutan’s high altitude tigers<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14513/original/c3ygdgxk-1345600707.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A tiger photographed at 3,000m asl by Bhutanese researchers using a remote camera in the year 2000. How then could the BBC claim discovery of tigers at high altitude a decade later?</span> </figcaption></figure><p>In September 2010, the BBC announced a stunning discovery of tigers (<a href="http://www.esabii.org/database/endangered/carnivora/panthera_tigris.html"><em>Panthera tigris</em></a>) living at high altitude in the Himalayas. The <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8998000/8998042.stm">article</a> claimed that a BBC team had discovered first hand evidence of tigers living at 4,100 metres above sea level (asl) in Bhutan.</p>
<p>This revelation spread quickly, achieving worldwide media coverage within days. In a subsequent three-part television documentary <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ty6b0"><em>Lost Land of the Tiger</em></a>, BBC claimed that their strategically-placed camera traps had recorded video evidence of tigers, not just in the Bhutanese tropical lowland forests but also at 4,100m asl in high-altitude alpine meadows. Global media hailed this as a great discovery and a boon for tiger conservation.</p>
<p>The problem is, the BBC team were not the first to collect evidence of tigers living at this altitude. A country-wide <a href="http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/portal/p_detail.php?recordid=8527">Bhutan survey</a> had found evidence of tigers living at altitudes of at least 3000m asl in 1989 - more than 20 years earlier.</p>
<p><em>Lost Land of the Tiger</em> was lavish and gripping documentary filmmaking. The BBC dramatically portrayed their team risking lives to achieve their goal, culminating in a final episode showing remarkable high-altitude tiger footage. The documentary was a great success with approximately <a href="http://mediatel.co.uk/newsline/2010/09/24/tv-overnights-bbc-ones-lost-land-of-the-tiger-ends-on-a-high-of-4-7m-viewers/">4.5 million British viewers per night</a>. </p>
<p>The documentary has subsequently aired in several other countries, including in the USA and Australia (as <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/tv/guide/abc1/201202/programs/ZX6397A001D2012-02-05T180554.htm"><em>Expedition Tiger</em></a>) in May 2011 and February 2012 respectively. Judging from the associated blogs, the hype has not lost any momentum and public applause for the BBC’s discovery continues. </p>
<p>But the BBC’s claim to this discovery is unethical. </p>
<p>Bhutanese wildlife ecologists have been surveying tigers for decades and systematically documenting their occurrence – including at high altitudes – since 2005 under a nationally mandated 10-year <a href="http://awsassets.panda.org/downloads/tiger_action_plan.pdf">Tiger Action Plan</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14838/original/9psc22px-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14838/original/9psc22px-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14838/original/9psc22px-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14838/original/9psc22px-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14838/original/9psc22px-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14838/original/9psc22px-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14838/original/9psc22px-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A Bhutanese wildlife researcher setting a camera trap. The Bhutanese have amassed a large dataset from thousands of camera trap nights, some of which have yielded images of tigers at high altitudes.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">JDNP/DoFPS</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The first photographic evidence of tigers at high altitude was reported by the late Nepalese conservation biologist <a href="http://www.resourceshimalaya.org/index.php?s=trcontent&a=browse&con_id=76a213b54405cbfdff873754ad2c57c6&title=Dr.%20Pralad%20B.%20Yonzon">Pralad Yonzon</a> who, in collaboration with the <a href="http://dofps.gov.bt/ncd/">Wildlife Conservation Division</a> (WCD) of Bhutan, recorded an <a href="http://www.resourceshimalaya.org/index.php?s=trcontent&a=browse&con_id=fd842f036c651770a6c8f2e3f9d2066d&title=Bhutan%20First%20Tiger%20at%204,110%20meters">adult tiger at a ‘camera-trap’ at 3,000m asl,</a> more than a decade ago in 2000. During that fieldwork, the team also discovered tiger <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pugmark">pugmarks</a> (footprints) at 4,110m asl, firmly establishing the presence of tigers at this altitude before the BBC’s discovery.</p>
<p>Follow up tiger surveys by WCD in 2008, again before the BBC arrived in Bhutan, resulted in camera-trap photographs of tigers and pugmarks at altitudes between <a href="http://www.kuenselonline.com/2011/?p=10262">3,700m and 4,300m asl</a>.</p>
<p>That the BBC overlooked this irrefutable evidence from the scientific community is inexcusable. </p>
<p>Documentary filmmakers peruse peer-reviewed literature, scan media for pertinent information, and utilise their professional networks to identify local experts before embarking on a project. In this instance, BBC made prior contact with the WCD and received expert guidance to precise locations where tigers had been recorded through pug-marks, scats, livestock kills, and camera-trap photographs. </p>
<p>As such, the BBC’s success is directly attributed to prior evidence already collected by Bhutanese tiger researchers, both in the lowlands and right up to 4,100m where a BBC crew-member in the documentary appears genuinely overcome with emotion to see a tiger photographed by one of his remote cameras. </p>
<p>While <em>Lost Land of the Tiger</em> was a ratings bonanza and does enlighten viewers about the conservation plight of tigers in the eastern Himalayas, BBC’s detection of high-altitude tigers was not a new scientific discovery. Of greater concern, it failed to acknowledge the local scientific expertise that was integral to the success of the documentary.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14836/original/mj74wnjh-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14836/original/mj74wnjh-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14836/original/mj74wnjh-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14836/original/mj74wnjh-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14836/original/mj74wnjh-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14836/original/mj74wnjh-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14836/original/mj74wnjh-1346371179.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=523&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A high-altitude tiger caught by a camera trap.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">JDNP/DoFPS</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The unethical practice behind the production of this documentary and its misleading message undermines the conservation efforts of Bhutanese government agencies like the WCD and the <a href="http://www.uwice.gov.bt/page/index.php">Ugyen Wangchuk Institute for Conservation and Environment</a> (UWICE).</p>
<p>Bhutanese wildlife researchers work diligently under the constraint of limited funds, logistics and human resources. In a country that prides itself as having environmental stewardship as a <a href="http://www.bhutanstudies.org.bt/pubFiles/12-2.pdf">pillar of its philosophy</a> of Gross National Happiness, countless hours of expensive field surveys in Bhutan’s remote and rugged protected areas including thousands of camera-trap nights have been dedicated towards investigating tiger distribution. </p>
<p>Yet none of the Bhutanese tiger researchers who pioneered the discovery of tigers at high altitude and who advised the BBC on camera-trap locations appeared in the documentary. Instead, the BBC chose to portray Bhutan as a remote and under-developed country, and lacking local research expertise under the guidance of effective conservation policy. The only Bhutanese input aired in the documentary came from rural people in the remote regions visited by the BBC crew. </p>
<p>When informed by locals that the presence of tigers at high altitude was widely known, the BBC narrator questioned whether “…legends of tigers living at high altitude are true”, arguing further that “fact and fiction can become blurred at these extreme altitudes”. </p>
<p>Fact and fiction were indeed blurred. Gross misleading statements such as “…any wild tiger the team finds in Bhutan would be a precious discovery” (Episode 1), “virtually nothing is known about Bhutan’s vast forests” (Episode 2) and “tigers breeding this high in the Himalayas is totally new to science” (Episode 3) are offered as facts, creating an illusion for unsuspecting viewers. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=902&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/14525/original/j923mwtj-1345603519.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1134&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Taktsang (literally “Tiger’s Nest”) Monastery at 3,120m asl. Knowledge of tigers living at high altitude is not news to the Bhutanese.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The <em>Lost Land of the Tiger</em> has created local distrust, seriously jeopardising any genuine future collaborative endeavour between foreign media and the Bhutanese government in documenting the nation’s rich biological diversity. </p>
<p>With the concluding statement that “…nothing was known about the tigers that may live here; we have filled in the final piece of the puzzle”, the BBC documentary completes the deception that an exciting new discovery was made, and in doing so, claims false ownership over something that the Bhutanese have long established. </p>
<p><em>This article was co-authored by Sonam Wangchuk, Chief, Wildlife Conservation Division, Department of Forest and Park Services, Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Royal Government of Bhutan.</em></p>
<p><em>The authors would like to acknowledge the assistance and support extended by Dasho Paljor J. Dorjee, Senior Advisor and Dy. Minister, National Environment Commission, Bhutan, and Mr Sangay Dorji, WCD, Bhutan.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/8963/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Karl Vernes receives funding from a range of funding bodies, including the ARC, the Hermon Slade Foundation, and the New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Dr. Rajanathan Rajaratnam has received University of New England funding for research collaboration with the Wildlife Conservation Division of Bhutan</span></em></p>In September 2010, the BBC announced a stunning discovery of tigers (Panthera tigris) living at high altitude in the Himalayas. The article claimed that a BBC team had discovered first hand evidence of…Karl Vernes, Associate Professor, School of Environmental & Rural Science, University of New EnglandRajanathan Rajaratnam, Lecturer in Biogeography and Conservation, University of New EnglandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/63012012-04-12T04:06:12Z2012-04-12T04:06:12ZWellbeing, happiness and sustainability: hallmarks of a new economic paradigm<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/9455/original/kjyp5nxn-1334102155.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Bhutanese Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley, Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla and administrator of the UN Development Program, Helen Clark at last week's UN meeting on wellbeing and happiness.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Casa Presidencial República de Costa Rica</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>What do the following people have in common? Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz, former Australian deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, <a href="http://www.un.org/sg/">UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon</a>, HRH Prince Charles, OECD chief statistician <a href="http://www.oecd.org/speaker/0,3438,en_21571361_34360727_34551094_1_1_1_1,00.html">Martine Durand</a>, Indian ecological activist Vandanna Shiva, the President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla Miranda, and former head of the British Civil Service, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_O'Donnell,_Baron_O'Donnell">Lord Gus O’Donnell</a>? </p>
<p>Answer: They were just some of over 600 delegates including heads of state, Nobel laureates, spiritual, business and community leaders who contributed to the opening of the recent United Nations High Level Meeting on <a href="http://www.2apr.gov.bt/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=209&Itemid=196">Wellbeing and Happiness: Defining A New Economic Paradigm</a>.</p>
<p>This landmark meeting, convened by the Prime Minister of Bhutan, Jigmi Y Thinley, followed on from the 2011 UN General Assembly motion calling for governments to promote polices focusing on sustainability, happiness and wellbeing as opposed to narrower definitions of economic growth measured solely by the expansion of GDP.</p>
<h2>An economy that serves humanity</h2>
<p>Prime Minister Thinley opened the meeting by noting that “the GDP-led development model that compels boundless growth on a planet with limited resources no longer makes economic sense. Within its framework, there lies no solution to the economic, ecological, social and security crises that plague the world today and threaten to consume humanity”.</p>
<p>“We desperately need an economy that serves and nurtures the wellbeing of all sentient beings on earth and human happiness that comes from living life in harmony with the natural world, with our communities and with our inner selves. We need an economy that will serve humanity, not enslave it.” </p>
<p>There was, of course, considerable debate about the potential for cynical, simplistic responses to happiness and wellbeing as core goals of public policy. And there was also broad understanding that care must be take to respect the different meanings that people from diverse cultures give to these ideas.</p>
<p>But there was also a widely shared understanding that whatever words we choose, the time has come to value, measure and implement an economic model which Prime Minister Thinley characterised as “sustainability-based, wellbeing-centric and inclusive”.</p>
<h2>Rocking the boat: Towards a new economic paradigm</h2>
<p>The following sketch of key contributions to this historic event provides an overview of key ideas and priorities discussed.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speechesandarticles/">Prince Charles</a>: “The grim reality is that our planet has reached a point of crisis. The time for us to act is rapidly running out. We are facing what could be described as a ‘perfect storm’: the combination of pollution and over-consumption of finite natural resources; the very real risk of catastrophic climate change; unprecedented levels of financial indebtedness, and a population of seven billion that is rising fast.</p>
<p>Prince Charles continued "as the Prime Minister [of Bhutan] said … it is hard to rock the boat, but rock it we must. As it happens, I have been doing a spot of rocking myself for a considerable number of years, precisely because I have felt the globally accepted systems of accounting for success – whether in terms of profit, or GDP – are not providing the right information for governments, businesses and other organisations to take the right decisions, given the challenges we face in the twenty-first century.”</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/9423/original/wth9ctk5-1334024219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/9423/original/wth9ctk5-1334024219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/9423/original/wth9ctk5-1334024219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/9423/original/wth9ctk5-1334024219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=798&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/9423/original/wth9ctk5-1334024219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/9423/original/wth9ctk5-1334024219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/9423/original/wth9ctk5-1334024219.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1003&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Professor Joseph Stiglitz: “Those attempting to guide the economy and our societies are like pilots trying to steer a course without a reliable compass. We are almost blind when the metrics on which action is based are ill-designed or when they are not well understood. ” Professor Stiglitz mounted a powerful case that the time has come to move beyond GDP as the dominant measure of human progress by finalising agreement on the introduction of a more integrated set of ecological, social and economic goals and measures.</p>
<p>UN Secretary-General <a href="http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=41685">Ban Ki-moon</a>: “Gross National Product (GNP) has long been the yardstick by which economies and politicians have been measured. Yet it fails to take into account the social and environmental costs of so-called progress. We need a new economic paradigm that recognises the parity between the three pillars of sustainable development. Social, economic and environmental wellbeing are indivisible. Together they define gross global happiness.”</p>
<p>Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the <a href="http://www.earth.columbia.edu/sections/view/9">Earth Institute at Columbia University</a>: “GNP by itself does not promote happiness. The US has had a three time increase of GNP per capita since 1960, but the happiness needle hasn’t budged. Other countries have pursued other policies and achieved much greater gains of happiness, even at much lower levels of per capita income.”</p>
<p>OECD chief statistician, Martine Durand noted that the dimensions which need to be considered in a more integrated set of progress and well-being measures include: income and wealth; jobs and working conditions; health; the time we have to devote to families and friends; our ties with other people in the community; our capacity to act as informed citizens; the quality of the environment; our experiences of violence and victimisation.</p>
<p>Professor Robert Putnam, speaking at the Columbia University workshop which preceded the UN meeting, drew on extensive new empirical evidence to emphasise the crucial role which social connectedness and the capacity to be part of trustworthy social relationships play in the creation of flourishning and sustainable communities and organisations.</p>
<p>Alexander Likhotal, president of <a href="http://www.gcint.org/">Green Cross International</a>, speaking on behalf of President Mikhail Gorbachev: The current economic model based on the limitless exploitation of the earth’s limited resources is doomed. We now face a historical tipping point at least as significant as the dismantling of the Berlin Wall.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.gcint.org/news/making-not-painting-economy-green">Likhotal’s speech</a> included a number of specific policy suggestions of particular relevance to Australian climate change debates. We need, he argued, to “create an alliance of the ‘early birds’, the speedy frontrunners who will be the "game winners” of tomorrow". There is no need to wait, as everybody - including traditional energy suppliers - will heed this call. The “carbon justice” approach can propel low-carbon technologies to the South. An alliance of champions on effective climate policy from America, Europe, Asia and leading “developing countries” (90% of the world’s population) can help provide the revolutionary shift needed to recalibrate our economy, protect our environment and achieve a truly sustainable development.“ </p>
<p>Dasho Karma Ura, director of the Centre for Bhutan Studies and Dasho Karma Tshiteem, director of the Gross National Happiness Commission of Bhutan: The true meaning of happiness and wellbeing lies in our relationships with our families, friends and communities, rather than in the endless consumption of material possessions. At the same time, a more enlightened recognition of the true sources of human happiness and fulfilment are also a necessary foundation of overcoming our broader ecological challenges.</p>
<h2>A sustainable pathway for the 99%</h2>
<p>Hunter Lovins, founder of <a href="http://www.natcapsolutions.org/">Natural Capitalism</a>: We must move rapidly from words to action if the 99% are to find a path to a future that is both just and sustainable. One important step will be to convene an international forum capable of forging agreement on the key principles and institutions for a new, sustainable economic paradigm – a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bretton_Woods_system">Bretton Woods</a> agreement for the 21st century.</p>
<p>Prime Minister Thinley concluded by reminding the gathering that "business as usual cannot go on and tinkering with the existing system will not do… we need a fundamental transformation”.</p>
<p>He also emphasised that this was just the beginning of an extensive work program designed to turn words into action by building support for alternative political and economic policies. The next steps in this process are likely to include the establishment of an International Commission on Gross National Happiness as well as detailed policy proposals to be presented to Rio + 20 in July and the UN General Assembly in 2013.</p>
<p>The meeting closed with prayers from senior Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim spiritual leaders. All of them called for an awakening of the awareness that the rapid implementation of a new economic paradigm is an essential precondition for ensuring that we are to able pass on a sustainable way of life to our children and grand children.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/6301/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>John Wiseman received funding from the University of Melbourne to assist him in attending the UN conference on Wellbeing and Happiness: Defining a New Economic Paradigm</span></em></p>What do the following people have in common? Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz, former Australian deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, HRH Prince Charles, OECD chief…John Wiseman, Professorial Fellow, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.