Gross National “Happiness” instead of GNP?
Bangkok, Thailand
27 July 2007
The Asian Institute of Technology has taken the academic lead to consider people’s general happiness in the development of public policy, co-organizing on 18-19 July 2007 an International Conference on Happiness and Public Policy, at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok.
The conference was organized in cooperation with Thailand’s Public Policy Development Office (PPDO), an innovative policy agency under the Office of the Prime Minister, the Royal Thai Government House. The two-day event was an attempt to gather input on innovative public policy development processes in Thailand, and to evaluate their successful execution and implementation.
According to AIT President, Said Irandoust, the conference sought to answer questions that are important to understanding the development of both individual and collective well-being. It was organized under sub-themes on global perspectives, conceptualization and indicators, local interpretation, socio-economic policy and technology.
Pointing to the inadequate nature of current measurement indicators that frame the current public policy debate, such as gross domestic product (GDP) and the millennium development goals (MDGs), the conference suggested that a paradigm shift is needed to push for new indicators such as Gross National Happiness (GNH). This view looks beyond the traditional indicators of national achievement, such as economic growth and the gross domestic product of a country.
GNH is an alternative construct being advanced in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, where the king has proclaimed that "Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product." The four main pillars of GNH are: cultural promotion, equitable economic development, good governance and environmental conservation.
The conference attracted UN-ESCAP Executive Secretary, Dr Kim Hak-Su; the Deputy Prime Minister of Thailand, Paiboon Wattanasiritham; the Minister of Home and Cultural Affairs of the Kingdom of Bhutan, Lyonpo Jigme Thinley; and a number of internationally renowned scholars and practitioners from Asia, Australia, Europe and the United States, as well as representatives of United Nations and other international agencies.
As a co-organizer, AIT faculty, staff and students served in various key roles as session chairs, discussants and rapporteurs. AIT President, Said Irandoust, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Peter Haddaway, Vice President for Development and Resources, Dr. Khin Ni Ni Thein, Prof. A.T. M. Nurul Amin, Dr. Sununta Siengthai, and Dr. Mokbul Morshed Ahmad acted as session chairs; and session discussants included Prof. Kanchana Kanchanasut, Dr. Kyoko Kusakabe, and Dr. Salil Sen. The head of the Research and Education Support Unit, Mrs. Izel, was the AIT focal person for co-organization. Ten doctoral and master’s students from all three AIT schools, including a student ambassador, served as rapporteurs of the nineteen sessions, along with UN-ESCAP staff members.
Owing to its leadership in this emerging field of study, AIT has been invited to help the organization of and participate in the 3rd International Conference on Gross National Happiness, which will be held from 22-28 November 2007, in Nongkhai and Bangkok, Thailand. The first conference was held in February 2004 in Bhutan, and the second in June 2005 in Canada.
Conference papers are now available on the PPDO website at: www.ppdoconference.org